


Far Beyond the End

by nightmarekitt



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Also military stuff, Angst, BAMF Cloud Strife, Character Death, Cloud Strife/Male OC, Dom/sub Undertones, Dystopia, Final Fantasy VII - Freeform, Humor, Lots of plot, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Post Advent Children, Post-Canon, Sephiroth/Cloud Strife - Freeform, there's fluff too, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-02-17 08:18:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 56,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2302883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightmarekitt/pseuds/nightmarekitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>1,000 years after that whole catastrophe with The Remnants, Sephiroth materializes naked in the woods with a whole new outlook on his favorite enemy. Problem is, Cloud Strife is wearing the face of a submissive pretty-boy and hanging off the arm of an absolute moron. As a result, Seph's got some serious wooing to do. To make matters worse, the latest ruler of the land is digging up ancient secrets that are hitting a little to close to home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Obvious Disclaimer: I intend no infringement with this work of fanfiction. Characters belong to the creators of Final Fantasy VII. However, creative liberties have been taken with characterization. This disclaimer applies to the entirety of Far Beyond the End.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth's back and very confused. Cloud's a little different than he remembers, or maybe not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: sexy times between two male fictional characters will be happening here. Apologies for any weird formatting; it is not consistent across various sites. This is on both AO3 and fanfiction/net. 
> 
> [12/21/15: fixed some typos. Still looking for a beta.]

_ How do you step back into a broken world, when you are the one who did the breaking? How do you muster up the courage to save someone who absolutely hates you? How can you apologize for existing and accept forgiveness for a crime that you don't think you deserve forgiveness for? _

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Sephiroth materialized on the outskirts of a small village a few hundred miles south of the ancient city of Midgar. He was sitting on the edge of a creek, studying his reflection on the water's surface as the afternoon sun beat down on his broad, pale shoulders. With silver hair shorn to the barest inch and green eyes lacking their usual luminescence, he looked very little like the man who had played a large part in the near-ruin of the world.

His typical leather attire was nowhere in sight, and he seemed nothing but miles of milky white skin and corded muscle to the woman who now stood stock-still on the path behind him, thinking that the man was probably harmless but for the madness that lead him to sit naked out in the open.

After all, any sensible person would immediately be inclined to find some cover, surely.

Rhea wasn't sure what to make of the pale man who had burst into existence from what she did not have adequate experience enough to recognize as a cord of broken lifestream. She was a simple woman, a mother with a young child at home and no husband to speak of. She dealt with all the accusations that came with spawning a bastard and did her best to keep those hurtful words from ever reaching her beloved son's ears. She worked far too hard for far too little just to support her small family of two, and while she was used to dealing with the surprises that a young child could dish out, the emergence of a strange man in the middle of the woods from seemingly nothing was just a little too much for her to handle.

Without further ado, she spun on her heel and started walking back towards civilization, deciding that a trip to visit the neighboring city had been a poor idea anyway and that she was not ready to take responsibility for the crazy man mooning over his own pretty face by the water. She was almost fortunate enough to escape his attention, but fate had other plans for Rhea that fine afternoon.

While the woman made what she hoped was a hasty, yet quiet retreat, Sephiroth was experiencing a plethora of emotions as he stared at his reflection on the water.

In the lifestream he had existed as a bundle of compressed energy, a bit like a rock on a riverbed: battered smooth when the waters were high and baking in the warmth of the sun when they weren't. The issue was that he had been the _only_ rock on the riverbed, and the former souls of the living were a never-ending flood of water rushing at him with a constant ferocity. Once truly dead, the lifestream had only accepted the bits of Sephiroth that were not corrupted by the Calamity, and even the little part that made up what he had always been before being corrupted by Jenova was a guilty mess that the Planet and most inhabitants of the lifestream dearly hated.

His only saving grace had been the influence of the Cetra girl: Aerith. For all the time that he had spent in the lifestream, he had never understood her mercy, forgiveness, or clear defiance of the Planet's will as it sought to destroy every last inch of Jenova's son. However, centuries passed, and though the Planet did not forget, it forgave him in smallest intervals, until eventually, Sephiroth mustered the strength to unwind and become something a bit less like a rock. But he did not join the water. Instead he lingered by the side of the Cetra girl and slowly tried to understand _why_. Not any particular "why", simply the all-encompassing reason for everything that had happened to him, from beginning to far beyond the end.

Even in the folds of death and the madness of rushing lifestream, Jenova's Child and the Ancient became something like friends. Of course, Sephiroth also felt the presence of others that he had known in his life. Zack in particular liked to brush by in the lifestream's endless rush, and would make his presence known by broadcasting his most ridiculous memories from a past long forgotten. Angeal lived in the lifestream, too, and though Sephiroth wasn't altogether fond of his presence after all they had been through, there was something to be said for the man's persistence in vying for Sephiroth's forgiveness. Genesis was not there, as he had been granted some sort of gift from the Planet that's depth Sephiroth could not grasp. All he knew is that the Goddess that Genesis had always longed for had finally answered, and in knowing so, Sephiroth felt faintly proud for his old friend, despite the bitter sting of the betrayal that tore them apart.

In all the strangeness that came with existing in the lifestream, Sephiroth did manage to find himself again. He remembered who he truly was, and that small bit of him that existed without corruption began to shine and thrive. His memories were not stunted, however. Every horror that he had committed, whether in his original body any that came after, were always fresh in his mind, being relived instantaneously with every passing moment. He did not have many happy memories, though the few that he dearly cherished were always wrought in battle and always involved the same person: Cloud.

What started as resentment, was realized as fondness, and grew into something that Sephiroth was hard-pressed to believe himself capable of feeling. He expressed this disbelief to the Cetra girl as that feeling grew unbearably strong, and she gently explained that it had always existed within him, only coming to fruition once he had truly regained the very essence of who he always should have been.

Despite the swell of longing that often filled his heart and danced neatly around the sharp and bloody memories, Sephiroth grew content with his existence in death.

Then, the change happened. It came at a moment when he was lost in a memory of turmoil, drifting quietly and unobtrusively where the Cetra's spirit often dwelled. There was a surge in the lifestream, unlike anything that Sephiroth had ever felt there, and even Aerith had not expected its arrival. Sephiroth was just beginning to recover from the reeling sensation of such a change, when it happened again, far more violently, and the Planet reached into its own lifeblood and grabbed him with invisible fingers and ripped him from the rush.

It had not been pleasant. The sensation of detaching from the intangible state of being that he had been for so long was the most painful thing that Sephiroth had ever experienced, even though he had not possessed a physical form at the time. And then he had emerged as reality folded unto itself on the physical plain and found himself at a stream's edge in the middle of a wood that he knew he couldn't recognize if he tried.

And for the first time in over a thousand years, Sephiroth opened his mouth and let crisp air fill his lungs. He pressed his pale feet into the white sand near the water's edge and stared in wonder as the dark liquid crept past. It took a moment for his mind to kick in, for him to start thinking like a living, breathing human again, to appreciate the warmth of the sun on his bare skin and sensation of his toes sinking in the sand, to comprehend the tranquil silence tempered only by the occasionally scurrying of wildlife in the woods around him.

And finally, to acknowledge how much he had changed. It was interesting to discover that he still had some buried sense of vanity. Sephiroth was nearly as shocked by the absence of his long, silver locks as he was about the whole "being alive" affair in general. His eyes were too dark and certainly nothing so spectacular as they once were. His body was still fairly muscular, but his torso presented a sudden thinness that he was all at once unhappy with.

He appeared frail, even ill, as he took in the changes. Most horrifying of all though, he felt weak. Sephiroth could not fathom weakness in himself. He shifted first left and then right, and was mortified when he stumbled, barely catching his balance. He was just beginning to fall into a panic about the entire situation when he heard the sound of retreating feet.

Caught off-guard by the possible presence of another living being, his eyes sought out the source of the noise and surely enough, a woman could be seen in the distance, walking along a dirt trail that cut through the center of the Wood. Curious and impulsive, Sephiroth made to follow her, not accounting for his state of undress or his sudden appearance, though of course, he did not know that the woman had seem him materialize from essentially thin air and the thought of such a mundane need as clothes had yet to be remembered.

In trailing after her, a good ten yards between them, Sephiroth movements went from something of a clumsy lope to a steadier walk and finally to an even stride that was nearly graceful. He felt the faint burn of activity in his body and the warmth of blood beneath his skin. Even though he had no idea why the Planet had purged him from the lifestream without so much as a warning, Sephiroth found himself smiling, the muscles in his face stretching with unpracticed effort.

He started catching up to the woman, who increased her pace as she heard him approaching.

"Wait!" he tried to say, but his voice came out in a scratchy garble that was utterly humiliating. Fortunately, poor Rhea did not hear his botched attempt at speech, but he did continue to shadow her at a slightly more sedate pace, until she'd had enough of his stalking. Though truly frightened, Rhea stopped in the middle of the path and turned to face him with a stern glare.

"Sir," she said harshly, "why are you following me?"

Sephiroth had already stopped walking, and he cleared his throat before attempting to answer her question: once, twice, three times before it finally took, and he was able to rasp, "I don't know."

This was not a comfort to Rhea, who was having a difficult time keeping her eyes on his face when far more of him was on display that was strictly appropriate, but she did not trust him enough to turn her back on him again.

"Where are your clothes?" was her next question, and Sephiroth finally realized his state of undress, and felt bad enough about it to appear chastised about it.

"Stolen?" he said uncertainly.

Rhea raised a skeptical brow.

Realizing how stupid that sounded, Sephiroth's mind finally clicked into gear, and he hurried to add: "I was swimming in the creek, but I think I slipped and hit my head. When I woke up I was rather confused, and my clothes were gone."

"So you decide to trounce after the first person to happen by without even so much as an explanation. You're really quite suspicious, you know. Are you a Black?"

Utterly confused by that question, Sephiroth chose to ignore it and replied, "I'm still a bit dazed, Ma'am. I apologize if I caused you any distress."

"Indeed," Rhea said sharply, but she dug through the satchel she had slung over her shoulder and pulled out a brown cloak and tossed it to him. Sephiroth caught it easily and tied it around his waist quickly, as it was far too small for him to even attempt to wear the garment properly. At least for now it hid all the important bits.

"Thank you," he said, truly grateful. "I have to admit that I'm a bit lost. Where are we?"

"This is the Narga Forest. The town of Narga is another mile up. Perna is about three miles back."

"Narga? Is that a town?"

"Yes."

"And Perna: another town?"

She was giving him an odd look, to which he quickly added: "I'm really quite new to the area."

"Perna is the capital city," Rhea explained. "Where are you from?"

"Midgar," Sephiroth said, without missing a beat.

"Oh." Rhea said, relaxing slightly. "You're one of that lot then. Must have come from the North. How did you end up in the middle of that forest without passing through the town first?"

Sephiroth gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Well, you don't seem so bad, I guess," she announced. "I'll take you as far as Narga, but then you're on your own. You got a name?"

He opened his mouth to give the standard reply and caught himself just in time. Sephiroth knew that a great deal of time had passed since he had died, a great deal as in centuries at least, but he knew that his real name might cause a stir even now. After all, he hadn't exactly been a saint back then, and the fact that Midgar registered with the woman said a lot about the sort of things that the people of the present would remember.

History was a truly funny thing.

"My name is Seth," Sephiroth finally voiced. Seth was close enough to "Seph" that he thought he could at least stand the moniker. _Ah_ , and there again rose that streak of vanity that he had long since forgotten.

Rhea nodded marginally in acknowledgement and started walking again. Sephiroth followed at a polite distance, matching her step for step. Eventually, the silence got the better of him, and he started the long slew of questions that would lead him to understanding the world he had just been thrust back into.

"What's a Black?"

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud pushed his hair over one shoulder. It was getting ridiculously long, he knew. Where his golden dresses were once kept short and spiky, they now dipped down to the base of his spine, all in one glorious golden length. He sighed as he moved to replace the dimming contacts that hid the ceaseless glow of his vibrant blue eyes. With the contacts in, however, that luminescence was smothered down to a very tame dark blue.

No one was privy to the truth of Cloud Strife - not even Neron, the powerful Black who owned half of the city of Perna, despite the Emperor's claim, and whom Cloud lived with as a "kept" White.

Cloud turned before the bathroom mirror, eyeing the complex designs etched into the white garment that clung tightly to his skin. To this day, he still didn't know what possessed him to become a White. The clothes for Whites were always form-fitting and unmistakably feminine, and being a White meant admitting submission to those who dared adorn themselves as Black.

On the streets of Perna, you rarely saw any individual wearing another color. It was Black, or White, or else. And once your position on the matter was established, you would be seen as strictly that. In the ways of this Emperor, they were urged to choose by the age of 16. To those who had been around for the Emperor's take-over, the choice was gradual, but once made: permanent. It was even recorded by the Emperor's book keeper.

Cloud wondered how people would react if he traded the sultry White attire for the black ensemble he kept tucked away in a highly secured storage container across town, along with his complex sword, an assortment of materia [perhaps some of the last in existence], a number of sentimental keepsakes, and an outdated motorcycle. He also wondered how his modern friends would react if Cloud ever revealed the truth of his nature. He was a creature of legend, and an undying one at that.

To the man called Neron, Cloud told a carefully crafted set of lies, the greatest of which was that he had an age-hindering disease that kept him looking young. Neron called this false disease a blessing, and Cloud silently thought him some kind of idiot, but his other modern friends were just as quick to take him up on the lie. Too easily, Cloud conceded that declaration of stupidity and thought them all far too trusting - especially since hardly anything he'd ever told them held an ounce of truth. But Cloud had spent far too long in the dark. Centuries had passed with him living on the outskirts of society, tired and sad and alone and, worst of all, _remembering_.

His past was a barbed and prickly thing.

Aerith stopped frequenting his dreams centuries ago. His friends had all passed, save for Vincent, who had hidden himself away nearly 500 years ago to escape the monotony of passing time. Cloud, however reluctantly, was a man of action. He couldn't hide himself away, nor could he forget all of the things that had happened over the past thousand years.

He could, on the other hand, allow himself to be a submissive personality for a few decades. After long periods of being alone, Cloud had decided to put himself in a position where he didn't have to care exclusively for himself. It was freeing, in a way, and slightly stemmed the turmoil of things past.

There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door and Cloud forced a smile on his face as he opened it.

"Ready yet, Sky?" Neron asked impatiently.

Cloud stepped out, turning so that Neron could observe the white floral patterns drawn tightly over his form. The piece was a full-body garment that ended in long sleeves tempered by silver bands around Cloud's wrists, making them appear delicate. He wore white boots of soft leather that rose half way up his calves. A pearl dripped from each of his ears and a complicated necklace made of white bone was wound around his neck.

In the beginning, he had found this sort of attire humiliating, but now he took it in stride.

"It will do," Neron voiced, though his dark blue eyes gleamed with appreciation. Cloud smiled and latched onto the other man's arm.

"I thought we'd walk today."

"Sounds nice," Cloud said as they departed Neron's impressive mansion. As they made their way onto the street and people started filtering past, their eyes lingered on Neron as much as Cloud, undoubtedly the most admired White and Black couple in the neighborhood.

Neron was a feast for the eyes to be certain. He was tall and broad shoulder with deeply tanned skin. His hair fell just past his shoulders in feathered layers, and his bangs were tied back to keep them out of his eyes. He walked with the confidence of a man who knew precisely where he stood in grand scheme of things, and he wore Cloud on his sleeve proudly.

Cloud admired the man. He was military, a Lieutenant, and 3rd in line to the Emperor's throne. Neron was certainly clever, though he possessed a keen since of humor that reminded Cloud of long lost friends. Neron knew nothing of Cloud's past, however, nor his real name. Cloud had introduced himself to the man five years ago as Sky Feral and no one had dared question him.

Neron had fallen deeply in love with Cloud almost immediately, and Cloud had liked Neron enough to accept his affections, enough so to eventually permanently register as not only a White, but _Neron's_ White.

Cloud's backstory was carefully contrived. To all who knew him in Perna as Sky, he hailed from a small town to the East, lost his family in a tragic accident, and left to find a better life in the city. There he met Neron and explained that he had an aging disease that prevented him from ever looking any older, though his lifespan was that of any other man's.

The lies came with little guilt now. After all, Cloud had been telling tales for a thousand years, and now did so simply to keep his secret safe, though he still flinched guiltily whenever someone spoke of the Legends of Old or when someone mentioned the Ancient City of Midgar that was now an abandoned ruin partially swallowed up by the sea. The people remembered the tale of the Warrior and The One-Winged Angel, though it had been a few centuries since anyone had spoken the name Shinra or Jenova. Most of the truth had been lost to the passing of time, but the lesson was well remembered.

On the bustling streets of Perna, Cloud and Neron neared the stadium, strolling casually and greeting passers-by with familiarity. They were eventually joined by two other Blacks and their accompanying Whites. The dominant/submissive system had really taken off in the past ten years, especially since the Act of Black and White was passed by the Emperor's council.

Friends in tow, Cloud and Neron found their way into the gates of the stadium, and minutes later took their seats in the private section for the wealthier patrons. As the other Blacks and Whites settled around them, Cloud allowed Neron to put a possessive arm over his shoulders and relaxed marginally as his friends conversed before the show started.

The stadium was open a lot this time of year. It hosted an assortment of events annually, but none were so popular as the sword tournaments. Everyone loved the tournaments. Controlled violence was such a fun source of entertainment, and Neron was particularly a fan. Cloud was often forced to fake enthusiasm for the event, however. Having a sword mastery that far outstretched that of present day fighters often made it difficult for him to enjoy the show as much he would have liked.

Neron himself was a swordsman, but he had forgone participating in the tourneys when his work in the military became more demanding and eventually left him with a skill set that much of the local competition couldn't hope to match. He was a highly respected swordsman in the area, and some even thought him the best in the city. Cloud always wanted to laugh when heard people speak that way about his Black. If only they knew how good a master swordsman could _really_ be, but he supposed it wasn't really his place to say. He was enhanced, after all, and the Planet basically regarded him as a WEAPON now. Cloud didn't even think of himself as human anymore. Any boasts that he might have to make would feel like cheating.

And with that thought, repressed memories tried to force their way to the surface of his mind. Cloud recalled epic battles that toppled cities, and facing down an enemy that he would never, ever forget - an enemy that he often missed so fiercely that he _ached_.

"What's up, Sky?" said Elda, another White, as she nudged cloud in the side with an elbow. "You're quiet today."

"Thinking is all," Cloud replied gently. "I'm a bit tired."

She tusked, then perked up when trumpets sounded, as did, for that matter, everyone else. Determined to get his mind off of painful memories, Cloud leaned forward in his seat and watched the first two competitors make their way into the arena as the announcer's voice echoed around the stadium and sunlight draped across the structure from the glass ceiling overhead. Another testament to how things had changed, Cloud realized, a glass ceiling would have been a horrible idea back in his day, when SOLDIER'S fought aerial battles because their velocity simply couldn't keep them grounded.

He raised a hand to his shoulder, scarred beneath the expensive with cloth of his outfit, and rubbed it gently as the ghost of pain flourished there. The scars that Sephiroth inflicted never seemed to fade, and the pain was a sharp reminder at why Cloud should be happier that the man was long, long dead.

A sharp clanging reached Cloud's sensitive ears, and he glued his eyes to the fight as the two swordsman attacked each other viciously. The fight lasted for only a few minutes; the fighters' movements were harsh and practiced but utterly unprofessional to Cloud's trained eyes. Anyone with a bit of silver in their pockets and so much as a butcher's knife could enter the tourney nowadays. It was almost disgraceful.

The crowd roared as one opponent fell, the winner's blade pressed to his heart as he lay sprawled on the sand-swept arena floor.

_ Pitiful _ , Cloud thought, but aloud he said, "Not bad," and returned Neron's approving smile when it was offered.

For at the moment, Cloud was not Cloud, but Sky: a kept White in the city of Perna with no particular destiny at all.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Sephiroth had been living with Rhea for nearly a month when finally he dreamed of Aerith. The lifestream was a familiar and surprisingly welcome sight to the slumbering Sephiroth, and he nearly allowed his subconscious to surrender to the security that it offered before Aerith appeared and stopped him from slipping into the river of death once more.

"Hello, Sephiroth," said the Cetra girl softly. "How's the land of the living treating you?"

"Awful," he drawled. "I'm weak as a kitten and all of my hair's gone."

Aerith threw back he head and laughed. When her giggling finished, Sephiroth asked, "Have you figured out why the Planet sent me back?"

She nodded. "The Planet senses danger approaching. Things are going to get bad soon, and it fears that Cloud cannot handle things on his own."

"Cloud..." Sephiroth whispered. "I haven't seen him. I'm having a hard enough time adjusting to this White and Black thing."

"He's in Perna," Aerith explained. "Though he's not calling himself Cloud anymore."

"I'm not surprised," Sephiroth admonished. "I'm Seth at the moment."

Aerith nodded. "Cloud is a WEAPON now. He is the Planet's greatest defense: its protector, but he needs help sometimes, and he has grown... _complacent_ as the centuries passed. I fear that he's lonely. He may not realize the danger this time until it is too late."

"That's where I come in?" Sephiroth guessed.

"Yes, the Planet trusts you now, sees you as one of its children. Now that Jenova is gone, you are safe."

"I can't be much help this way, though," Sephiroth pointed out, running a hand through his hair, and pausing when he realized that he appeared in this dream world as he had before, with his glorious silver hair present.

Aerith smiled. "Your strength will return gradually. You were so strong back then, even without Jenova's influence. For the Planet to return to you that much power will take time."

Sephiroth understood. "What is the threat this time?"

"I don't know," the Cetra admitted. "There is simply a feeling of foreboding. The Planet doesn't understand her children as well as you might. She thought you would be the perfect candidate to figure things out."

"I don't think Cloud will be happy to see me."

"He might surprise you. Either way, once your power is regained, you will be as he is: immortal and unable to join the lifestream."

"Okay...but Aerith?"

She tilted her head to one side and offered him an inquiring smile.

"Is there any way that I can get my hair back? I look ridiculous."

She laughed again and patted his head, green eyes bright. "I'll see what I can do."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Sephiroth woke up with a jolt in Rhea's home. He breathed heavily for a moment, before pulling himself out of bed and heading to the small bathroom across the hall. His reflection in the bathroom mirror caught his eye, and he was a little disappointed to see that his hair was still just a slight fuzz across the top of his head. He would have to live with the fact for a while. Aerith worked hard, of this he was sure, but results weren't always instantaneous, not even for the showgirl of the Planet.

Sighing, Sephiroth started his morning routine. He left the bathroom a few minutes later, going to sit in the small kitchen until the sun rose and Rhea finally woke up. Her boy, Jera, was still sleeping in the back room.

"I'm leaving today, Rhea."

She gave him a sleepy look and sighed. "I had a feeling you might soon. Guess I'll have to find another sitter for Jera, eh?"

"Sorry," Sephiroth said shortly, "but I have business in Perna."

Used to his strange antics, Rhea simply shrugged and shuffled around the kitchen to start up the coffee maker.

"You got money?"

"What I've saved from odd jobs around town," he admitted. "It's not much, but it's enough."

She nodded. "Alright. When you get to Perna, you'll have to go register as a Black, before you can do anything."

"I'm grateful for everything you've done for me," Sephiroth said quietly. "I'll return the favor when I'm done there, though I don't know how long that will be."

Rhea turned around and smiled. "I know. You're a good man, Seth, even if you are the idiot who followed me home naked one day in the forest."

He rolled his eyes. "You'll never let me live that one down, will you?"

She smirked. "Nope. So, you want breakfast before you leave?"

"Sure."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

It took Sephiroth most of the day to walk to Perna, and another just to cross half of the bustling city to make it to the registry. He registered as a Black, calling himself Seth Valentine (having long since learned the name of his real father) before he walked back out into the busy streets and found himself pausing.

Step two was to find Cloud, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. Perna was easily twice the size of Midgar, and overflowing with people. First, he bought a set of clothes from a thrift store. The all-black ensemble suited him well, and he drew far less attention to himself by dressing in something other than the multi-colored clothes that one of Rhea's male friends had loaned him. He also felt far more at home in the black jeans, black T-shirt, and worn leather boots as he traversed the streets of the city.

He grabbed a cheap meal at a small corner café and made conversation enough to learn that this part of the city was particularly crowded today because of a popular sword tournament that was taking place in the local stadium. If there was any place that Sephiroth knew Cloud would be drawn to, it would involve swords.

It was dark by the time Sephiroth found the stadium, and the ticket masters let him through without a fee since the main events for the day were already over. It also helped that even without his mako-eyes and obvious other amenities, Sephiroth was still a rather intimidating man. His steady gaze and controlled movements kept most people from getting in his way. But not all.

There was a party going in the ritzier lounge area on one side of the stadium, and Sephiroth slid in past the door guards with ease. Most people in the lounge were dressed in black and they conversed enthusiastically at the round tables spread throughout the room. Clustered in a corner were a handful of Whites that Sephiroth paid no mind to. He couldn't imagine Cloud presenting himself as a submissive, so his eyes regarded only the Blacks as he swept them over the room searchingly. When the results came up unsurprisingly negative, he decided to try another approach. Asking the locals seemed the smartest way to find Cloud. After all, the blonde was hard to miss.

Sephiroth slid into an empty chair at a table of Blacks like he belonged there. However, the conversations all immediately dropped and a dark-haired man eyed him speculatively.

"New in town?"

"Yes," Sephiroth said, his powerful voice drawing even more attention than physical presence alone. He slid back in his chair and relaxed visibly, as if to say, _I cannot be intimidated by the likes of you_. "I'm from Narga."

"I've a cousin in Narga," the dark-haired man drawled, and Sephiroth mentally acknowledged that this man had quite a physical presence alone, not to mention the gall to voice a fact with a tone intending challenge. Cocky bastard. "Bartholomew's the mayor."

"Ah, I know him only by name," Sephiroth admitted. "I'm looking for a friend in this area."

"I tend to know the people's comings and goings," the man said, leaning back in his chair as the others watched the transgression with a mild intensity. Sephiroth wanted to roll his eyes. Blacks, he had noticed, thought themselves superior to Whites. It had given them an air of arrogance that was often frankly undeserved. They were as socially territorial as teenagers. It was revolting, but Sephiroth knew that he had to play along, if he was to ever find Cloud.

"My name is Seth Valentine," Sephiroth offered.

"Neron Dellshire," the man returned, smiling openly, though there was a tilt to his head that threatened authority. " _Lieutenant_ Dellshire."

_ How obnoxious _ , Sephiroth wanted to growl, but said instead: "My friend's name is Cloud Strife." Giving Cloud's real name was a bit of a risk, but from what he had learned for his short time in Narga, the world remembered the Warrior who had brought down the One-Winged Angel, but had likely forgotten his name entirely. Interestingly enough, if you dug far enough in the local computer databases, the name "Sephiroth", however, still spawned some alarming results.

"What a strange name," said Neron, glancing around the table questioningly. "I don't recognize it, nor it seems, do any of my friends, and we're not likely to forget such an unusual name as that."

"Like Sky?" tossed in one of the other Blacks, grinning widely at Neron, who only offered the other man a glare.

"Don't make fun of my White, Hasur. At least I have one, and Sky's the best there is."

"Then maybe you should stop fucking those other Whites behind his back, eh?"

The others broke in with light laughter, and to Sephiroth's disgust, the man named Neron chuckled along with them.

"In that case," Sephiroth said, trying very hard to hide his annoyance, "I think I'll be off."

"As you see it, stranger," Neron said with a grin. "Maybe we'll run into each other again once you've found your Cloud."

Sephiroth nodded and left the table, and was halfway across the room when an all too familiar voice sounded from where he'd just left.

"Who was that, Neron?"

Sephiroth was so shocked that he nearly ran into a server. The man glared at him before tottering off with a tray of drinks. Ducking around a group of Blacks near the door, Sephiroth stepped into an empty corner of the room and let his eyes search out the owner of the familiar voice.

His mouth fell open at what he saw. Cloud Strife looked positively nothing like Sephiroth remembered. The blonde's hair was preposterously long, falling to his lower back in an even length. The style didn't particularly suit him, and his eyes were the wrong color, too, Sephiroth noted, though he supposed that that could be explained away easily enough. Cloud probably wore contacts to hide the mako-glow of his eyes. It was oddly ironic that Sephiroth's hair had been sheered short while Cloud's fell absurdly long, and the ex-General found himself utterly jealous of the other man. What worried Sephiroth even more was the intricate white number that Cloud was wearing. It made him look as dainty and fragile as the female Whites that Sephiroth had seen thus far.

_ Predators are often pretty, _ __ Sephiroth reminded himself, recalling quite a few colorful and gorgeous monsters who had done quite a number on his person in the past.

The worst part of the scenario was the way Cloud had draped himself over Neron's broad shoulders, nuzzling carelessly at the man who (common knowledge dictated) slept around. Sephiroth strained his only marginally enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation, and frowned even deeper when it was clarified for him that Sephiroth's "Cloud" was now Neron's "Sky".

If fully enhanced, Sephiroth knew he would have already marched back across the room, separated Cloud from the moron, and beat Neron into a bloody pulp. As it stood, the great ex-General was tempted to do that anyway. He highly doubted that Neron could hold his own even against an unenhanced Sephiroth. On the other hand, Cloud would probably terminate him permanently, thus leaving Sephiroth to retreat back to the lifestream and face the Planet's disappointment and (in all likely hood) wrath.

Instead, Sephiroth left the lounge, situated himself near a dark part of the hallway exit, and waited for his ancient enemy and Neron to depart, trying not to think about how seeing Cloud with that moron made his blood boil.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

"Who was that?" Cloud asked, laying his forearms on Neron's shoulders.

"Seth," Neron said, reaching over to pull Cloud into his lap. Cloud allowed himself to be pulled. After all, it wasn't every day that he got to use Neron as a makeshift seat, though the eventual erection that pushed suggestively against his ass was utterly unwelcome.

Though it was no longer an uncommon practice, Cloud refused to participate in public displays of intimacy, no matter how much Neron wanted him to.

Neron put his hands on Cloud's hips, occasionally sliding one between the blonde's legs under the shadows folds of the tablecloth. Cloud wiggled at the contact and resisted the urge, as he often did, to show Neron just how submissive he _wasn’t_ and that his touches were not always welcome.

"A new Black in the area. He was looking for a friend."

"Who?" Cloud asked, slumping a bit so he could lean his head back on Neron's shoulder. _Makeshift pillow_ , he reminded himself.

"Someone with a name even weirder than yours, Sky," said Hassur.

"Cloud," Neron said, mouth close to Cloud's ear, and he automatically tensed.

"W-what?" he stuttered, eyes widening.

"Cloud. Do you know someone by that name?"

"No," Cloud said after a moment, trying to hide his surprise. "But it is a weird name, isn't it?"

Neron chuckled in his ear and the Blacks carried on their previous conversation. Cloud, however, was a bit panicked. Someone was asking for him? He hadn't really recognized that Black from earlier, though to be honest, he hadn't gotten a good look at him from all the way across the room either. Still...there was only one person alive who knew his real name, and that was Vincent. Maybe Vincent had hired someone to look for Cloud, but he couldn't really imagine the ex-Turk trusting someone else with that information.

If not Vincent, then _who_?

Cloud pondered over the problem until Neron declared that he'd had enough for the night and they left for home. As Cloud and Neron walked down the darkened streets of Perna, Cloud got a familiar itch between his shoulders. He tried to ignore it, and made small talk with his Black until they got home. However, even then he felt the strange sensation, though he identified it easily.

Someone had followed them home. It was curious that this would happen on the very same night that someone had been asking for Cloud. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Cloud ushered Neron inside their home with a fake smile, claiming he wanted to walk around the grounds for a bit. In reality, he walked back to the main gates in front of the mansion, crossed his arms, and waited: listening. He stood for nearly ten minutes in the dark, and there was not a single indicator that he had any sort of company. However, that feeling of being watched never once subsided.

Finally, he grew impatient enough to simply say: "Look, whoever you are - I don't know what you want from me, but I don't appreciate being stalked."

No one answered, so Cloud just shrugged and went back inside.

Hidden in some bushes barely three feet from where Cloud had just been standing, Sephiroth let out a relieved sigh. That had been entirely too close.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Sephiroth set up in a coffee mill on the edge of Perna. It was a fair distance from where he now knew Cloud lived and it smelled positively awful, but they offered him a salary and a place to stay for some simple work and Sephiroth wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. He worked nonstop for nearly six weeks straight before he even attempted to see Cloud again.

With enough money saved up, Sephiroth purchased some more clothes and a rather pathetic looking old broadsword from a pawn shop in a shady neighborhood. He had just enough money to get by, plus enough to enter the sword tournament, if he wished.

Since he hadn't swung so much as a stick in the entire time since he'd re-emerged from the lifestream, Sephiroth significantly doubted his prowess with any kind of weapon. His body was noticeably starting to change, as Aerith had promised, but not nearly fast enough for him to confidently march into an arena. He settled instead for joining a shoddy gym close to the coffee mill, and after attempting a basic kata that he performed _terribly_ , Sephiroth estimated that he was probably only slightly stronger than your average idiot.

Extremely disturbed by how weak he was, Sephiroth practically lived at the gym when he wasn't working, practicing the sword and training his body until it started to feel like his own again. He pushed himself enough that his muscles burned away the stiffness that he associated with his untrained form, and there was no time that he wasn't utterly sore from the workouts. At the crux of six weeks, he was starting to scare away the other people in the gym, getting more eager and demonstrative as his strength slowly returned. He was finally kicked out with a small refund as penance: the staff half terrified that he would swear revenge and take them out for doing so.

The sword tournaments were still in full swing, and Sephiroth finally stepped back into the stadium on a clear Saturday afternoon. He got a cheap seat, and though his eyes desperately scoured the hundreds of other fans, he couldn't spot Cloud in the mess of Whites and Blacks, though he expected the blonde was situated somewhere far more appealing than the nosebleed section.

After a month and a half of pining and being generally enraged about Cloud's position on Neron's arm _, and_ about the man being a White, of all things, Sephiroth's temper had finally cooled into mere irritation. But Planet help Neron if he and Sephiroth ever crossed in a dark, empty alley. Unfortunately, that would probably never happen as Sky never seemed to leave the Black's side.

Sephiroth sat stock still in his seat as a cheer went up around him and two armed men faced each other in the arena. What followed was what might have been the most pathetic display of swordsmanship that he had ever witnessed. The ex-General was somewhat embarrassed for the morons thwacking each other with blunted swords in the arena. He vaguely wondered when in the scrawl of history that swordplay had become a joke.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Whites and Blacks of all ages! Next in the arena we have a three-time champion Neron Dellshire facing off against newbie Don King!"

The crowd roared far more enthusiastically than they had thus far, and Sephiroth grimaced as Cloud's Black made his way into the arena. He had heard about this from some of the people at the mill - that Neron was a fighter in the arena, and a good one, but that he had stopped fighting three years ago because he claimed that grew bored of always winning and that he needed to focus on working for the military. How odd that the man chose this day to reappear in the ring.

A trumpet blast set off Neron and Don King into a flurry of clanging metal. Neron was draped from head to toe in pure black leather [much to Sephiroth's annoyance], and his hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that looked positively girlish, but the bulging muscles of his arm dismissed that notion easily. He was obviously a seasoned fighter. He caught openings that many of the previous swordsmen hadn't even been aware of, but...

But by Sephiroth's standards he was positively abysmal. The man carried a gleaming rapier that he gripped improperly, thus kept nearly dropping after powerful swipes from directly above. His footwork was sloppy and his recovery time was downright shameful, but he clearly had the strength to make up for it, and he was a lot faster than his opponent. Neron took the other man out in less than a minute and the crowd went wild.

The victor waved cheerily to the crowd before cockily reseating his blade and disappearing back into the stadium. Sephiroth was fuming as he swept out of the structure only moments later, too peeved to even stick around and watch any more of the fights and positively _itching_ to get his hands on a decent weapon again

How could Cloud possibly put up with someone like that, when the blonde himself could wipe the floor with that pompous asshole blindfolded with both hands tied behind his back? Sephiroth was halfway to Neron's mansion when he realized where he was headed. Cloud was still back at the stadium, he knew, so where was he even going? Getting an idea, Sephiroth ducked into a convenience store, purchased a pen and a small pad of paper, and continued his trek to the mansion.

He had an idea.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud and Neron took the car back to the mansion that evening. Neron, of course, never drove. He had his own personal driver and a car that was expensive and showy. Neron was proudly basking in Cloud's attention, as the blonde murmured sweet nothings into the other man's ear like the good little White that he often pretended to be.

They got home quickly.

"Wait for me in our room, Sky," Neron demanded more than asked.

Cloud, in an agreeable mood, complied by going to their bedroom and stripping off his clothes. He was just turning down the bed, when he noticed a piece of paper sitting on the nightstand.

"That wasn't there this morning," he muttered, moving to retrieve it. The piece of paper was obviously just some cheap stationary, and it was folded in half. The alarming part came when Cloud unfolded it and found his real name scrawled across the top.

_ Cloud, _

_ You looked better with short hair, and white really doesn't suit you, but that's not important. _ __ _ The Planet needs you to pay more attention. _ __ _ Something bad is on the horizon. _ __ _ Open your eyes. _

_ Yours, _

_ SV. _

"Who the hell is SV?" Cloud hissed, as the door handle turned. Startled, Cloud darted across the room and slipped the letter into his top dresser drawer. Neron walked in, regarded Cloud's nudity appreciatively, and then worked his way to the bed. Cloud, ever the obedient White, followed.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud was sitting at his regular table at a local cafe with a fellow White the next day, worrying his bottom lip as he fiddled absently with a steaming mug of tea.

"I'm surprised you're still with him, Sky," Elda was saying. "He really doesn't deserve someone as nice as you."

"Yeah, well. Neron's not that bad," Cloud argued, though his heart really wasn't in it.

Several tables away, Sephiroth eavesdropped behind a lunch menu. He'd been sitting there for 30 minutes, and kept insisting to the waiter that he hadn't made up his mind yet about what he wanted to order. The server was getting irritated with him. Unfortunately for that guy, Sephiroth really, really didn't care. He was far more focused on the conversation that the two Whites were having. It seemed that Sephiroth wasn't the only one who didn't care much for Neron.

"It's because he's your first, isn't it?" Elda was saying. "I mean, honey, he's a catch, but there are far more fish in the sea - _better_ fish."

"He's not my first," Cloud said, looking startled.

Elda froze. She looked as if Cloud's words were some kind of revelation. "What?"

The blonde shrugged and avoided meeting her eyes, but Sephiroth was paying rapt attention, blood boiling under his skin. Who _else_ did he have to fight for Cloud's affections? The man had been alive for a thousand years - there was probably a damn _list_. Not that Sephiroth expected to have much of a chance with Cloud, mind you. They may both be going to live forever, but Sephiroth was deadly certain that Cloud would run the nearest pointy object through Sephiroth's heart the very moment that the slighter man discovered that his arch enemy once again lived.

"There was a man I knew a long time ago," Cloud said, a distant look in his eyes. "I adored him, but he ended up being a really bad person."

"Oh, honey," was all Elda said, understanding crossing her eyes. "Neron has no idea, does he?"

"No."

"And you still love that first man?"

Cloud glanced up, eyes deceptively dark thanks to the contact lenses, but no less sad for them. He said, "yes."

Sephiroth bristled. It was bad enough that he knew he'd have to deal with Cloud's past affections for a handful of women, but now this? This was so much worse! Sephiroth finally waved the waiter over, ordered a java to go, and departed the café in a huff.

He hadn't even begun to figure out what crazy bad thing was happening to the Planet yet either. As he rounded another street corner, a voice broke through his angry reverie: "Well, well, well. If it isn't Seth Valentine."

Oh this asshole was just asking for it. Sephiroth did his best to look civil as he greeted the speaker: "Neron."

_ Rhymes with moron _ , Sephiroth tacked on mentally.

"Care to join me and my buddies? We're going to a party uptown." Neron was indeed surrounded by a group of Blacks, most of which looked half-drunk already. Sephiroth wasn't really in the mood to deal with a bunch of deviants, but he knew that this might be the best way to do some information gathering in the city.

"Sure," Sephiroth said without enthusiasm, and joined their group as they crowded their way into a limousine. Sephiroth stayed relatively silent, watching the others converse until they reached a skyscraper in the middle of the city. Meanwhile, Sephiroth mused over the fact that time changed very little. People and even _places_ were still as boring and predictable as they had always been.

It wasn't until they were all situated near the top of the building in a condo full of loud music and drunken idiots, that Sephiroth started to play an old game. He had never been a turk, but he _was_ undeniably a manipulative bastard. The party was Blacks only and more than a few of them were putting on disgusting displays of profanity of various surfaces. Sephiroth found a drunken Black in a corner, smiled seductively and pulled the idiot closer. The other man automatically latched onto Sephiroth's neck and he used that as a cover to overhear one of Neron's conversations with a group of beefy-looking Blacks.

"They've pulled some really interesting stuff from that ruin," one of them was saying, regarding Neron in a suspiciously military fashion. The man speaking stood very nearly at attention. " _Midgar_ is a gold mine of lost technology."

Sephiroth nearly fell over in shock. Midgar? He had heard that the place was a ruin and there was even a small village on the shore nearby that claimed the name of the fallen city. Surely after a thousand years, everything potentially useful had rusted away to dust.

"I know that already," Neron said sharply. "What did they find this time?"

_ This _ time? What did they find _last_ time?

"Hard drives in an airtight vault. It's amazing, Sir. Our specialists have actually been able to access the information on them with modern computers."

Sephiroth barely resisted the urge to kill everyone in the room right then and there. He had definitely made a wise move in coming here today. If this new military had access to information from back then, then they potentially had access to things about Cloud and Sephiroth himself. Sephiroth was horrified by the idea that they might know about things like SOLDIER. And what if they found out the truth about Cloud? His protective instincts were reeling.

Neron was sprawled on a chair several feet away from Sephiroth, who wriggled under a clingy drunk's wandering hands and mouth. No one seemed to even notice them. The plan was working perfectly.

"Do tell," Neron purred, "what sort of information did we get?"

"A lot," the other Black said almost gleefully. Sephiroth understood that he was one of Lieutenant Neron's underlings, but aside from Zack, he himself would have never let one of his soldier's get away with such uncomely behavior. Then again, he wouldn't be spouting information about something that was very likely classified at a seedy party.

"The language has changed a bit, but it's still discernable, even to me. There were maps of entire facilities, run by a company or something called Shinra."

Sephiroth practically ached for Masamune at that moment. These fools know about Shinra, yet they had no idea how potentially dangerous that information could be.

_ Humans are so stupid _ . Jenova's voice whispered through Sephiroth's mind, and he was horrified for one heart-stopping moment, until he realized that it was only his memory and not the actual thing.

The soldier spouting off secrets was now sitting adjacent to Neron. "We have ancient weapon designs," he continued enthusiastically. "They may be outdated, but they work completely differently than ours do now. They had a formal military and a bunch of technology that we've never even dreamed of. In many ways they completely outstripped us technologically. I think if this Shinra thing still existed, that they could stomp us into the dirt."

Neron rolled his eyes, as if the very idea were ludicrous. "Doubtful," he said.

Sephiroth grimaced. Doubtful? Try _with certainty._ If such a battle were possible, any modern army would merely have been a bit of bloody filth on some Shinra SOLDIER Third's boots.

"I don't know," said another man, presumably another underling. He looked to be the deferring type, Black or not. "I've seen it, too, sir. Even if their technology couldn't beat ours, their military could. It was the era of the Warrior who defeated the One-Winged Angel, and from what I've seen, their soldiers were biologically enhanced. They were incredibly strong. _Impossibly_ strong."

Neron now looked interested. "Enhanced how?"

"Some kind of chemical solution that they derived from the Planet itself," said one of them.

"And Uncle Reginald knows of this?" Neron wondered.

"Yes, sir. He's known for ages. I have it under good authority that Emperor Reginald has already instated a program to enhance our own soldiers based on the findings in Midgar."

Sephiroth drew in a sharp breath.

"Explains why he wanted to hire so many scientists to work for the city last year. How long until this enhancing thing comes to fruition?"

"A few months. Heard of the Nova project? That's what it really is."

Neron smiled, thanked the two men, and subtly steered the conversation back to normal topics. Sephiroth tossed his half-drunk idiot disguise onto the closest available surface and snuck out of the party without being noticed. He practically raced across town to the coffee mill, locked himself up in his room, and dropped into a chair to think.

"Aerith, I need you," he whispered. "This is far worse than I ever thought it could be. I'm really, really, _really_ going to need my strength back soon."

_ And I really need to talk to Cloud _ .

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud sat in his regular seat the stadium. _Just another day in paradise_ , he thought with a yawn. The fighters were finishing out prelims today, which always ended with a special event. Usually, they plucked a random person from the crowd, brought that person down to the arena and let that person "fight" with one of the fighters. On several memorable occasions, a grandma, a two-year old, and a dog had been selected.

Today, Neron was going to be the one participating in the event. He would fight the randomly selected person and try to be showy and even humble about it. It was ridiculous, in Cloud's opinion, though admittedly a tad amusing.

The announcer called for the event to begin, and read off a random seat number from the crowd. Cloud more or less heard the commotion as people in that section made a hell of a lot of noise to show their enthusiasm as a tall Black rose from his seat and made his way down to the arena. The man was too far away for Cloud to properly identify him, so he watched and waited with everyone for the play fight to begin.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Sephiroth was a bit stunned when his seat number was crowed into the microphone and suddenly everyone around him was urging him to go down to the arena to take up a sword. He was certain that everyone was expecting him to make a fool of himself, but the ex-General found himself smirking as he made his way down to the arena, because Neron was the fool leading the show today, and Sephiroth was more than happy to have the opportunity to humiliate him in front of hundreds of his admirers.

Including Cloud.

Sephiroth was hustled into the arena and an assortment of swords was laid out on a table before him.

"Well, if it isn't Seth!" Neron said, eyes amused. "Pick your weapon, Seth my friend, and don't worry; I'll go easy on you." The idiot winked.

Sephiroth smiled in a way that he knew could make a hardened fighter's skin crawl, and Neron's friendly façade vanished in an instant.

"You might not want to go easy on me," Sephiroth purred, picking up a katana - the least favored blade in this arena - and checking the balance expertly. He ached for his nodachi, but hadn't seen its like here. The weapon (to most) was deemed entirely too impractical. After clarifying that the katana wasn't a complete piece of junk, he gripped the handle with his left hand and followed Neron out into the center of the arena. The crowd cheered and laughed like it was one great big joke and Sephiroth just couldn't wait to prove them wrong.

He watched Neron drop into his customary (flawed) fighting stance, blade drawn, and Sephiroth unthinkingly fell into his own ready-pose. Smiling a bit, like he thought Sephiroth was a total idiot, Neron moved to the left and Sephiroth, playing along, moved right. They made nearly a complete circle, before the ex-General lost his patience.

And the dance began.

Sephiroth flew across the arena, swiping up, down, and across in almost the same instant. Neron blocked the three blows but wasn't prepared for the fourth. In mere moments Neron was wide-eyed with shock, desperately fighting back, and Sephiroth wore the look of the confident General that he once was.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud's jaw was on the floor and so, apparently, was everyone else's. The stadium had gone dead silent when the randomly selected Black had darted across the arena in a near-blur and started hashing at Neron like a fucking hurricane. Cloud watched as his Black was utterly overwhelmed by this stranger who didn't even appear to be tiring. The blonde snapped his jaw shut, however, and let his eyes widen further still when he noticed that the mystery swordsman had a flawless, scarily _familiar_ technique.

Truly worried, Cloud started counting in his head, matching the stranger's swipes of the sword to a familiar beat.

"Side, swipe, down, back, dodge, sweep," Cloud whispered under his breath, horror budding in his chest. Elda, sitting to his left, grabbed Cloud's arm when he stood up from his seat.

"Sky? What are you doing?" she hissed.

"He's playing with him," Cloud's expert eyes saw. This mystery swordsman fought like a monster, but he was clearly only teasing his opponent, drawing out his careful control for all to see. The only mistakes that Cloud could see were probably invisible to everyone else. This stranger swung his katana too short sometimes, only barely reaching his opponent, but reaching him nonetheless. Like someone who is used to having a far longer reach, Cloud realized. Or perhaps as just an insult, like a cat pawing at mouse before killing it.

Neron went down in two minutes, and by that point, Cloud's heart pounded in his chest, his adrenaline soared, and he was eying the mysterious swordsman with something akin to dawning horror. He tasted bile at the back of his throat, mako-tinged, and his pupils might have been slits for all the electricity that was coursing through his body as the panic (hope) (excitement) set in.

When Neron lost, no one cheered, but a nervous applause followed the victory after a long collective gasp from the audience. The announcer accompanied a cameraman out into the arena to address the victor, as Neron picked himself up from the dirt and slipped back into the stadium. Cloud's eyes were glued to the huge screen mounted over the opposite end of the structure.

When the camera finally focused on the mystery man's face, Cloud fell back into his seat with a gasp, because though he had known it already, it was still a shock to see that face again.

"What is wrong with you?" Elda said worriedly.

Cloud didn't even hear her as the announcer started talking.

"Well, that was certainly unexpected!" he said to the victor, grinning widely. "What's your name, sir?"

"Seth," was the only response he received.

"Anything to say to the crowd today, Seth?"

Cloud watched as the man who had defeated Neron stare at the microphone for a long moment, before decisively saying: "No."

He then promptly turned on his heel and left the utterly befuddled announcer and cameraman to their own devices. As the two moved to fill up the space left by victor's odd departure, Cloud leapt up from his seat and ran inside the stadium walls with Elda shouting worriedly after him. He made it down only one level before colliding into his Black, who looked utterly pissed.

"Neron," Cloud breathed, wanting nothing more than to, for once, ignore him. "Are you...?"

"I'm fine. Where are you going?"

"Um, I was coming to find you," Cloud lied, and now he knew he couldn't present a good reason to keep running. He was just about to bolt, regardless of Neron's opinion, because honestly? Stopping Sephiroth was _much_ more important. He didn't have to do anything, though because Sephiroth himself appeared behind Neron and gave Cloud a familiar smile.

"Good to see you," he purred, and Neron nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise.

He whirled around to scream in Sephiroth's face: "What the everlasting _fuck_ is your problem!"

Sephiroth ignored the question spectacularly, his eyes locked on Cloud and giving the blonde chills. Cloud was so rattled by shock that the only thing he managed to say was this: "What...you...but...your hair?"

Sephiroth's resulting expression was almost comical in its distress.

"I know," he said uncharacteristically. "She told me that it would grow back, but it looks absolutely idiotic, doesn't it?"

Neron looked positively outraged. "Sky...do you know this man?"

Cloud absently nodded, and even Neron noticed that his hands were balled into fists at his sides and that he was completely tense as he stared down the silver-haired Black.

"I'm not here to cause you any strife," Sephiroth explained, stepping around Neron like he was an inanimate object. The ex-General then paused and smirked at the irony of his own words, but Cloud didn't appear to get the joke.

The blonde opened his mouth to speak, but Neron suddenly, violently, _stupidly_ jerked Sephiroth back by the shoulder. Cloud feared very much for Neron's life in that moment. He was so concerned in fact that the words - "Don't kill him!" - fell from his lips before he could think about it.

Neron looked even more furious at that and Sephiroth himself was starting to get irritated. Ignoring Neron once again, he leveled a piercing glare at Cloud and hissed: "Do you remember _nothing_ of what you are?"

The words were enough to make Cloud's brain start turning again. His stance became more aggressive (head ducked, shoulders drawn up, legs spread apart and braced) and he glowered mightily at Sephiroth, and spoke fiercely. The sound was like nothing that Neron had ever heard from the White's mouth.

"I know exactly what I am and who I am, and what that is is absolutely _none of your business_."

"Seriously? Do you have any idea how shocked I was to learn that you had turned yourself into a White? _You_?" Sephiroth had the gall to laugh, though his words had been as light and smooth and cutting as ever. The man had a knack for never raising his voice, speaking quietly, and yet still managing to get his point across with a vengeance.

"Why are you here? And how?" Cloud growled, and the sound seemed to register with Neron on a spiritual level, because he completely lost his composure.

"What is going on here!" he shouted angrily.

Sephiroth looked thoughtful for a second, before saying, quite cheerfully, "you're a moron."

Neron looked like he was about to bust a blood-vessel.

Cloud took a threatening step forward. "Leave," he said sternly, regarding Sephiroth.

The ex-General drew himself up to his full height and all traces of amusement vanished from his face. "I cannot. I have a duty to the Planet."

Cloud's resolve actually faltered. "What do you mean _you_ have a duty to the Planet?"

"It's happening again," Sephiroth said carefully, finally eying the fuming Neron. "We cannot allow it."

Cloud laughed sharply. "How can that be possible? This coming from _you_?"

Sephiroth stared outright at Neron, and Cloud felt his stomach do something unpleasant. Was Sephiroth implying that Neron had something to do with this?

"I expect we will see each other again soon," Sephiroth said flatly, walking past Cloud, and throwing in, "and I told you, didn't I?" He stopped and spun around, facing Neron and Cloud with a smirk: " _I will never be a memory_."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

As soon as they got home, Neron started yelling, and as soon as they got home, Cloud abandoned all pretense of being submissive. He let Neron shout for a while, but the moment the man reached out to roughly grab Cloud's shoulder, Cloud ripped his hand away and pushed him hard to enough to make the other man stumble across the room.

"It's not my fault that you lost to him," Cloud snapped.

"How do you know him!"

"He's from my hometown," Cloud explained, probably the first truth he had ever told the man.

"Old _friends_?" Neron said, voice heavy with jealousy.

"Enemies," Cloud snarled angrily. "And a much bigger problem than your inability to take a loss."

"Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you're talking to, Sky? I am your Black! You have to obey me. It's on the contract that you signed when you agreed to be my White."

"I would have to, if Sky Feral was actually my name," Cloud retorted, arms crossed. "And if I actually cared to follow the laws of a crazy old Emperor."

Neron paused, wide-eyed and wondering. "Who the hell are you?"

"It doesn't matter," Cloud said with a sigh. "I'm leaving anyway."

He aimed for the door, walking, but Neron's voice traveled across the room and froze him in place.

" _Cloud_ ," the man said in recognition. "You're the man he was looking for back then, aren't you?"

"Yes," Cloud said with conviction.

"Don't leave." The plea was desperate. "I'm sorry...just...wait."

Cloud frowned. He hadn't expected the man to be apologetic. _He did declare his undying love for me three years ago_ , Cloud recalled. He turned, crossing his arms and waiting to hear what the other man had to say.

"You can stay. I'm sorry that I lost my temper. It's just...you're not acting like yourself and I can't stand that man, and I don't know what to do! I feel like I'm losing everything!"

Cloud felt marginally sorry for the guy. He had taken care of Cloud for the past three years, after all. He was a friend.

"Fine - I'll be back by morning." And with that, he slipped out of the house and onto the city streets.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud was having a hard time grasping the obvious. Sephiroth, apparently, worked at a rundown coffee mill on the edge of Perna, had gotten himself kicked of two different gyms for "terrifying the staff and other customers", and everyone in the area thought he was a jerk. It was all a far cry from the super-soldier reputation he had once wielded like armor.

There was a small apartment building next to the coffee mill for local workers, and Cloud was arguing with the receptionist. He had been trying to track down Sephiroth all day, now that his temper had cooled, and was tired of dealing with people who clearly didn't like the man.

"Look, I don't care if you are his friend - I'm not allowed to just give out that kind of information," said the receptionist for the third time.

Cloud sighed. "I already know that he lives here, Ma'am. I just need to talk to him."

She rose a skeptical brow. "You a stalker or a bill collector? Either way, the answer is still no."

"Then how about a compromise? Tell him that Cloud is looking for him."

"Sure," she said with a smile, and looked past Cloud. "Hey, Seth? Cloud here is looking for you."

Cloud turned around and glowered. "I've been arguing here for twenty minutes."

The ex-General smirked. "I know. Follow me?"

Cloud gave the snarky receptionist one last glare before following Sephiroth down the hall to his apartment. Once they were inside and seated on a rather pitiful looking sofa, Cloud began:

"I'm assuming that you have a story to tell me, seeing as you haven't attempted to chop my head off yet."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "A few months ago, the Planet purged what remained of me from the lifestream. I only recently discovered the reason why."

"How?"

"Aerith," Sephiroth said carefully.

Cloud sunk a little in the chair, and his eyes grew a little more distant. "You know her? You _killed_ her."

"Yes," Sephiroth admitted, looking guilty. "I did, and trust me, she lectured me about it long enough. I won't lie. I had no conflicts with doing so when I ran her through, but now I do regret it."

"Why?"

"Jenova's influence is a powerful thing Cloud. You have felt it before, but only to a miniscule degree. I am far more susceptible to her inclinations. Not everything that I did was utterly by choice."

"You can't blame Jenova for all that you did," growled the blonde, pushing a wild strand of his ridiculously long hair behind one ear.

"I won't," Sephiroth conceded, "but I am not entirely to blame."

Cloud looked troubled. "With all that happened...you were raised as an experiment, left to Hojo for most of your life, and then thrown into Shinra, and then you were exposed to Jenova. I never blamed you for everything, but you did try to kill me a lot and people who mattered to me. Your actions led to the deaths of so many...you can't expect me to forgive you for that."

"I'm not asking for forgiveness, Cloud. That's not why I am here."

"Then specify!"

Sephiroth straightened and looked Cloud dead in the eyes. "Then I'll explain it to you as it was explained to me. You are a WEAPON now. It is up to _you_ to protect the Planet. I have not fully regained my strength yet, but in time I will, and then Planet will use me as a WEAPON as well, except my job is not to defend the Planet; it is to protect you."

Cloud tried to let the words sink into his brain. "I don't need defending," he said quietly.

"I am aware of that, but the Planet seems to think otherwise, and Aerith agrees."

"Basically, you're going to help me whether I want you to or not?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Exactly, and at the moment, you don't even know what we're up against."

Cloud sighed deeply and massaged his temples, as if nursing a particularly powerful headache. "Tell me."

So Sephiroth did. He relayed the information to Cloud that he had learned at the party for Blacks only. Knowing did not improve Cloud's mood.

"We can't tell them who we are," Sephiroth said finally.

"Planet, no!" Cloud agreed. "But we still have to act."

The ex-General looked thoughtful. "They already have started a program similar to SOLDIER, so we can't steal the information and expect it to be effective. I heard no indications that they harvesting mako to use as a power source, though at this point, it's probably only a matter of time. You can try talking to Neron."

"He won't listen," Cloud admitted. "I know he won't. He'll take me directly to the Emperor if I so much as let on that I know anything about this. He may be a bit of a brat, but he's loyal."

Sephiroth snorted. "As if he could contain you."

"Not without help," Cloud corrected. "I'm not invincible, Sephiroth, and neither are you. It took an army to take out Zack, but it still happened."

"The Planet would revive you."

"If they knew what we really were, we'd become their star projects. They wouldn't kill us. They would use us for their project. It only makes things worse that there are going to be other enhanced running around. This isn't going to be simple"

Sephiroth was thinking rapidly, his precise military brain kicking into gear. "We will have to dismantle this empire and destroy everything that they pulled from Midgar along with everything else that the information was potentially copied to. Also, kill everyone involved."

Cloud laughed humorlessly. "You say that like it's no big deal. Destroying an empire? Wiping out everyone?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "We should also destroy whatever remains of Midgar so this can't happen again."

"Or so they don't get their hands on anything else." Cloud looked really unhappy about all of this.

"There is no other way, Cloud. I don't particularly want to go on a killing spree."

The blonde grimaced. "When will you be back at full strength?"

"I'm probably about half way right now. Another month perhaps?"

He nodded, then stood from the old couch. "I need to show you something."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

It was a large high-security storage unit in a less populated part of town. Cloud opened a variety of locks before the huge sliding door finally opened, revealing the mess of old possessions inside. Cloud turned on a light and pulled the door closed behind them.

"Two motorcycles, updated over the years," Cloud explained, "along with as much materia as I could gather, my sword, and a few keepsakes, but nothing damning."

Sephiroth observed the two huge bikes studiously. They looked a lot like the ones he remembered, though nothing like the ones that he had seen in this modern age.

"They're much more maneuverable and hold up to damage better than modern bikes. After all, they not just for transportation. I originally built Fenrir to withstand combat." Cloud explained all of this as he moved to a pile of things in one corner. "I keep First Tsurugi in the bike usually, but...well."

Sephiroth gawked as Cloud pulled forth a very long, thin object, wrapped in cloth. He laid it across the two bikes and offered Sephiroth a grim smile.

"It was hard, finding it, but the mako reactor in Nibelheim eventually did dry up. Couldn't find a trace of your original body, and I don't know how you managed to manifest the same sword in your other ones...but, I kept this."

Sephiroth swept forward, carefully unwinding the black cloth from around Masamune.

"It's made of Damascus steel, but I used materia on it constantly to protect the blade. After all, I wasn't exactly easy on it when I fought. I was constantly worried that it would break in battle."

Cloud inhaled sharply. "I've got some of your old stuff as well. I pulled a lot from the Shinra building after...everything."

Sephiroth gave Cloud a quizzical look, and the blonde dumped a huge bag next to the ancient sword.

"Your customary leather attire," he said bluntly. "All in air-tight bags. I don't know if they're any good anymore."

"You saved my clothes?"

Cloud blushed. "I...yeah. You were...a long time ago, you were my hero, you know? I guess some of that feeling never really left me. So in the end, I found whatever was left of you and put it somewhere safe. I have mementos for all of the people I cared about, and...well, you were one of them."

Sephiroth smiled and then let his eyes sweep meaningfully up and down Cloud's form. "I'm assuming that you still have some of your old clothes hidden away in here? Ready to ditch the white? It really doesn't suit you and..." Sephiroth reached forward and pushed some of Cloud's hair behind his left shoulder. "I really miss your spiky hair."

Cloud was glowing with embarrassment. "I..um... _ahem_." He cleared his throat and took a step back, almost knocking over a crate in the process. "Not yet. For now I'll keep the White. I'll switch back later when the time comes."

Sephiroth frowned. "What do you mean? What will you be doing between now and then?"

Cloud shrank a little. "Staying with Neron. He's our best source of information."

Sephiroth frowned. "But you didn't find that out until just a few hours ago."

Cloud seemed to collect himself. He stood up straighter, letting some of that old stubbornness shine through. "He's not the best person in the world, but he's not a psychotic murderer either. I owe him for the past few years and-"

"-he cheated on you, treated you like a submissive twit, and acts like a child when he doesn't get his way."

Cloud sighed. "I know, but I...I have to do this, Sephiroth. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"I don't believe that for a second," Sephiroth growled. "For one, you could stay with _me_ , and two - I'm not an idiot. As long as you've been alive, I know that you have a stash of cash hidden somewhere. Not to mention..." Sephiroth gestured around the stuff in the room for emphasis.

"If I leave him now, we'll have half the city turning against us. He's 3rd in line to the throne and everyone is somehow indebted to him."

Sephiroth held up Masamune meaningfully. "I could take care of that easily."

Cloud glowered. "Murder is not the answer, _Sephiroth_."

Sephiroth's resulting glare was just as impressive. "We've already established who we have to kill, and he is definitely on the top of that list."

"He's a good source of information," Cloud countered.

"For now." Sephiroth sighed and took the point at face value. "I really don't like the guy."

"Why?" Cloud appeared genuinely perplexed. "I mean, I know he was kind of a jerk today, but...he's normally pretty friendly."

Sephiroth stared at Cloud pointedly. "He has what I want."

"What is-? Oh. _Oh_." Cloud blushed profusely and his crossed his arms. "I...really? When did... _why_?"

"I noticed you the first time you ever set foot in Shinra, Cloud, and...well, even in the throes of madness, I constantly sought you ought. I constantly teased you in those fights, always pushing you to the brink. Do you have any idea how many opportunities I had to kill you in those battles?"

Cloud shuddered. "I...yeah, I noticed."

"Why do you think you always won? I adored fighting you Cloud. I lived for it. You were my equal in strength, but I was still _the_ General Sephiroth. I won't say that your skill had nothing to do with your victories, but I yearned to fight you. You were the first and only person whom I could truly fight against and hold nothing back. Even under Jenova's influence, I kept ignoring the urge to kill you in favor of having another chance to face you in battle. Nothing has really changed between us. I still want to own you: body and soul."

Chills crawled up Cloud's spine, but he couldn't decide if they were the good or the bad kind.

"When this battle is over...what will happen to you?" he asked.

The ex-General smiled. "I will be here so long as you are. Always."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Neron was at work, dressed to the nines in his daily military uniform with a gun at his hip. He had just learned that he was going to be one of twenty officers who would be injected with the experimental serum that their scientists had derived from information from the Ancient Ruins of Midgar. Though he wasn't keen to be anyone's guinea pig, he reveled at the idea of being enhanced and the fact that he might have a chance to get back at Seth Valentine.

He sat in a room with the technical experts, as they pulled data from the ancient computer hard drives and salvaged it onto the huge monitors on the walls.

"This one's talking about some kind of reactor," one of the female techs was saying. "Engineering plans...and something called mako?"

"I've got something about their military on this one," said another. "It looks like their chain of...holy shit!"

Everyone in the room jumped at her exclamation and crowded around her.

"What is it?" Neron, being the highest ranking officer present, commanded.

"Wait a sec. Let me cross-reference this first...and...aha! Wow, that is crazy."

"Explain!" Neron growled.

The tech turned around in her swivel chair, looking excited. "You know the legend of the Warrior and the One-Winged Angel?"

"Everyone knows that," said an Ensign dismissively. "The angel tried to destroy the world and the warrior stopped him."

"Right, but do you know the angel's name?"

"Sephiroth," Neron recalled easily. He had loved that story as a boy.

"Right!" said the tech. "Well, you're gonna love this. Leading this Shinra military was a man named Sephiroth. No last name listed. He was a General, it says here, when things went to hell."

Excited exclamations went up around the room.

"Other names?" Neron wondered, truly intrigued by the idea that the One-Winged Angel had actually been a part of Shinra.

"Well, there was a president, and a vice president, and heads of different departments in the company. The rest of the army was led by a few Commanders. The rest are listed as simply Firsts, Seconds, and Thirds - whatever that means, and then there was a simple ranking structure for the infantry. They separated the enhanced and the ordinary. And get this: all of the enhanced used swords, while the infantry used guns."

Neron frowned. "That's stupid."

"Not really," said the other tech. "Some of the information that we pulled before suggested that the enhanced were so powerful that bullets didn't always slow them down, and that they were faster to react with swords."

"Faster than guns?" someone gasped. "But that's close combat! It doesn't make sense."

"We won't know for sure until the new serum is tested."

"When will it be ready?" Neron asked no one in general.

"Two weeks," said the Ensign.

He nodded. It really couldn't get there fast enough.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

When Neron got home from work, Cloud was sitting in one of the mansion's living rooms, reading a book. Neron stood stock-still in the doorway.

"You're back," he acknowledged, but that wasn't as reassuring as the other elephant in the room. "What did you do to your precious hair?"

Cloud's golden hair was now a mess of gravity defying spikes.

"Felt like a change," was the only answer he offered. He eyed Neron's uniform with a frown. "How was work?"

"Fine."

"Anything interesting happen today?"

"No," Neron lied. He never talked about work to Cloud. "Why are you asking?"

"Curious, I guess." He stood up and stretched. Neron eyed the stretch of skin that appeared when Cloud's shirt rose up from the action. "I've been here all day. I think I'll go out for a bit and see Elda."

"Sure," Neron said with a small nod. "I'm going to relax then. Be careful?"

Cloud smiled, though Neron could tell that his heart wasn't in it.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Two weeks after Sephiroth's talk with Cloud, the ex-General woke up from a dead sleep because he was choking. He sat straight up in bed and panicked for a second, yanking at the wild thing that was wrapped around his neck. It took him a moment to realize precisely what that thing was, and once he did, he nearly tripped over his own feet trying to get to the bathroom mirror.

Long locks of silver hair fell down Sephiroth's back, and he let out a grateful sigh when he saw his own green eyes glowing brightly back at him in the mirror. Grinning from ear to ear, Sephiroth retrieved his cell phone and called up Cloud in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, Neron answered.

"Hello?" the bastard said grumpily into the receiver.

Sephiroth was too thrilled to complain. "I need to speak to Cloud."

"Sky is sleeping," growled Neron. "Why the hell are you calling our house in the middle of the night? He doesn't want to talk to you."

"He said that?"

Neron made an irritated sound that wasn't precisely denial, and was interrupted by Cloud's soft, sleepy voice: "Who's on the phone?"

"Cloud," was all Sephiroth had to say. He knew that Cloud's sensitive ears would pick up his voice even through the phone's speaker. He must have gotten a hold of the phone, because Cloud eventually replied: "What?" as Neron made a fuss in the background.

"I'm ready."

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then Cloud affirmed: "Okay."

"Tomorrow night at the storage unit?"

"Morning," Cloud said shortly, not saying anything else because he knew Neron was listening. "The Lime Café. I'm bringing Neron."

"What? Cloud, no. That's a terrible idea. Why?"

"To make amends," Cloud said simply. "He wants to."

"You have got to be kidding me. Did you forget what we talked about before?"

"No."

"Then..." Sephiroth's voice trailed off as realization struck him. "What's changed?"

"You'll see.'

"I can't though...my hair grew back." Sephiroth sounded slightly proud of the fact.

"What? All of it?"

"Yes."

"Shit."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"No," Cloud said, sounding frustrated. "I can't."

"Is he having you watched?"

" _Yes_ ," Cloud said sharply, as if he had been waiting for Sephiroth to realize it.

"That's why you haven't contacted me since-"

"-yes."

"Is that what you needed me to know?"

"Yes but no. It's not all."

"Cloud," Sephiroth almost laughed. Cloud was just so comically frustrated. "The solution here is simple. Dump Neron. You haven't gotten any new information out of him, right?"

"Just the one thing."

"The same thing that you want me to see?"

"Yes."

Sephiroth sighed. "I'll be there, but I'm serious Cloud. _Dump him_."

"Tomorrow," Cloud said sternly. "I will."

Sephiroth could tell that he wanted to say more, but couldn't. "I'll come tomorrow and see whatever it is that you're panicking over, but I won't approach the two of you. I doubt that idiot will recognize me now. Oh, and fair warning, I'm going to wear my old clothes."

Cloud's audible gasp made Sephiroth grin.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Cloud."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Cloud sat across from Neron at the Lime Café. They took up their usual table outside, both sipping quietly at tea and chatting with their fellow Blacks and Whites, when suddenly there was something of a commotion.

Everyone paused and moved to see what was going on. Cloud's heart nearly stopped at the sight of none other than General Sephiroth as he best remembered him: silver hair shining unnaturally silver and wrapped from head to toe in form-fitting black leather. His eyes weren't glowing thanks to the dimming contacts that he had picked up that morning, and Masamune was, of course, still safely tucked away in storage, but Sephiroth made a striking figure regardless and everyone wanted to know who he was.

Cloud almost laughed at the fact that no one recognized him as Seth, however, Sephiroth was now at full strength, and his mere presence at the café chilled the air. People instinctively pegged him as a predator and kept their distance, even if they didn't realize it. The wait-staff wouldn't even approach the man as he reclined in a café chair, perusing the menu with a mild look of interest.

"Well, what a stir," Neron said, turning back around and rolling his eyes. The other Whites and Blacks at the table chuckled in agreement. Cloud, however, kept his eyes on Sephiroth until the man gave him the slightest nod.

He had seen what Cloud needed him to.

The issue at hand was this: two days ago, Neron had returned home from work with glowing blue eyes, and Cloud had barely resisted the urge to take him out then and there. It was as if, in that moment, the blonde had realized the true danger of the situation at hand.

Now he had no reason to stay.

Cloud rose from their table, saying something about the bathroom, and almost got to escape, but Elda followed him. She joked feebly about the silver-haired man until they reached the restrooms, when Cloud turned on her.

"I'm leaving him," he said simply, and Elda only smiled.

"Finally," she retorted. "You have been rather distant with Neron lately. Got your eye on another Black?"

Cloud's smile was tired. "Yes." He leaned around Elda, still smiling, and waved at Sephiroth, who had quietly followed them inside. Elda's jaw dropped as Cloud slinked forward and wrapped his arm around the other man's. He winked at Elda as the silver-haired man led them out of the café.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Later that same day, Sephiroth and Cloud stood on the cliffs overlooking the ruins of Midgar. Cloud was dressed in all black with a silver wolf design gleaming from the pendant on his chest and the clasps of First Tsurugi's harness situated uniformly across his torso. The sword itself shone brightly in his right hand.

Sephiroth stood at his side, his silver hair blowing in the wind, and Masamune's handle comfortably gripped in his left hand.

They shared a quick look and then dove from the cliff. The next day, Emperor Reginald's archeologists were shocked to see that the city ruins had been leveled.

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

Neron slammed his hands on the desk and the wood shattered under the force of his blows. He was on the base in usual building, facing his subordinates. "What did you just say?"

His underlings shared worried glances. "We still haven't located your White, and the ruins of Midgar have been destroyed."

"How is that possible?"

"No one knows, sir."

Sky had been missing for three days, and now _this_?

"What's the Emperor's plan of action?"

"He doesn't really care about the ruins, since we already found the enhancement solution."

"But who could have leveled a city like that?"

"We don't know."

Neron made a frustrated sound. "Fine. We'll worry about it later. How many soldiers are being given the serum?"

"Twenty more in two days."

Neron smirked. "Excellent."

** FarBeyondtheEnd **

During their research, the techs working under Neron had found, to everyone's amazement, pictures on the old hard drives from Midgar. Neron, a few of his superiors, and a handful of other officers, were crowded into the analysis space to see the results.

With the press of a button, the tech brought up the first image on screen, and everyone in the room gasped at the gray building in the image. It was a skyscraper with the descriptor "Shinra Headquarters" in blue lettering across the entrance doors.

"Next," ordered Neron's Commander, and the second picture appeared, displaying a colorful lobby of what was presumably the inside of the building.

"It's an advert," one of the younger officers stated the obvious.

"Next," the Commander said again.

The next image was of an overweight man in a dandy suit and a taller, thinner man with similar features.

"Bet it's the president," said the tech, "and his son."

"Next."

A rank of soldiers appeared all wearing matching uniforms and helmets with guns slung over their shoulders.

"Infantry," identified the tech.

"Next."

"Is that a canon?"

It did look like a massive canon, reaching far over the city sprawled below. The picture must have been taken from the air.

"Next," said the Commander, sounding a little breathless. The pictures were a historical treasure. It was hard to believe that they were actually seeing images of the ancient city at all.

"Who is that?" someone asked.

Neron's mouth fell open.

On the screen was a silver-haired man holding the longest sword that Neron had ever seen, and he was dressed to the nines in black leather. His green eyes were glowing so fiercely in the image that they looked inhuman. His expression was set into a serious, deadly gaze. Across the bottom of the picture were the words: "General Sephiroth, Hero of Wutai, wants _you_ for Shinra's Army!"

"I've seen him!" gasped one of Neron's men.

"Me, too," admitted someone else. "Is that Seth Valentine?"

Neron's mouth clicked shut. It _was_ Seth! That must have been him at the Lime Café when Sky had disappeared! What the hell was going on here? Neron turned a mighty glare on the technician. "Is there any possibility that these hard drives were planted?"

She looked uncertain. "They've been verified, sir, by five different experts. They're ancient.. I swear!"

Neron's Commander was frowning. "What about the earlier drives, the ones we found outside of the Shinra building two years ago? Can you pull any images from those?"

She nodded.

"Show us."

It took her a few seconds to bring up the other files, another few to run the program that would make them work again, and then finally, a series of new image files appeared on the screen. She opened the first one, and the room went dead silent.

The picture was of a dark figure suspended above a city of obviously damaged buildings. The sky was a dark swirl of black clouds behind him. Most alarming of all, the silhouette was flanked by one terrible, black wing.

Without being told, the tech clicked through the next few pictures. There were more images of the broken city, which already looked a ruin, a few of a terrifyingly large monster with wings, and finally, clusters of random people.

"The aftermath? WRO?" the Commander read from one of them - people gathered on a stage at some kind of event.

"That's the last of them," the tech said, closing the file, but Neron stopped her.

"You missed one," he noticed.

"It's corrupted. The program won't run it. I can try to correct it, but..."

"Try," ordered the Commander.

Ten minutes later, she made a small sound of victory and brought the last image up on the screen.

Even the Commander recognized the man in the final picture, for sitting on a huge black motorcycle, surrounded by a ragtag group of people, was none other than Neron's missing White.


	2. Chapter 2

Sephiroth remembered the first time he saw Cloud Strife. It was shortly after Angeal's death, when Zack had been mournful and a bit withdrawn, and when Sephiroth himself was still trying to wrap his mind around the seething betrayal and gut-wrenching loss of dear friends: one to madness and the other to death. And the blame was on the heads of Shinra and the Science Department.

Angeal's death and Genesis' abandonment had tipped the scales of Sephiroth's emotions into dangerous territory, and the passing of time did nothing to appease the budding monster that lived within his body and mind. At that point, his dreams were filled with darkness, tendrils of green, and Jenova's sweet and deadly voice. The seeds of insanity had already been planted, but were only just beginning to bloom.

In those days, Sephiroth had attempted to replace the two gaping holes in his life with a spikey-haired, loud-mouthed Zack Fair. Angeal's Puppy was also mournful, true, but his enthusiasm and optimism were as shining as ever, even if his eyes occasionally gleamed with loss. Their friendship was cautious and half-assed [at least on Sephiroth's end], though the General had cared enough to keep tabs on Angeal's protégé most of the time.

So it was that Sephiroth noticed the young man (with pale hair as ridiculous as Zack's) in nothing more than a passing glance. The General couldn't have told you the name of the infantryman whom Zack had taken a shining to. He could, however, tell you the color of the young man's eyes, the graceful way he seemed to acclimate to his clumsy nature when he thought no one was watching, and the precise manner in which he could wield a Shinra-issued assault rifle in the firing range.

Though, as stated before, the General noticed Cloud only in passing. The blonde was an afterthought that only slipped into Sephiroth's focus when the young man himself was present, and even  _then_ Sephiroth refused to acknowledge his lingering attraction for what it was. After all, Cloud had still been quite young, and (to Sephiroth's clouded eyes) could only be seen as the unworthy failure that did not even pass the SOLDIER entrance exam. And perhaps those failings were what had ultimately kept Sephiroth from taking a step in the right direction back then, but he would never  _ever_ admit that to the Cloud standing before him today.

Today's Cloud was sleeping soundly on Rhea's battered old couch, looking far more like an angel than even Sephiroth had a right to, and the ex-General was simply staring, awestruck.

Rhea walked into the room, hair tucked into a messy bun on the back of her head, and sighed. "Seth, you have got to stop doing that."

Sephiroth turned his head just enough to let her see his frown.

She rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, staring at someone while they sleep is really creepy."

"Where's Jera?" Sephiroth asked quietly, ignoring her subtle reprimand.

"At a friend's house for a few days." She moved over to sit in the empty chair next to Sephiroth's "You gonna tell me what this is all about?"

Sephiroth considered. He and Cloud had appeared at her doorstep just yesterday with a thousand years' worth of odd keepsakes, weapons, and two hulking combat motorcycles that were currently hidden in her shabby garage. She had taken one look at Sephiroth's pleading look, let them in, and didn't even bother asking about the man's sudden head-full of lengthy silver hair.

"I'm doubtful that you'll believe what I have to say."

She reached over, tugged pointedly on a long strand of his hair, and raised a skeptical brow. Sephiroth was suddenly, painfully reminded of Aerith, and realized with frightening clarity that he trusted this woman.

"Do you know the legend of Midgar?"

Rhea smiled sweetly. "Of course. I often tell the story to Jera when I put him to bed at night."

"Summarize," he ordered militantly.

She hummed, tilted her head back thoughtfully to stare at the ceiling, and recited: "They of Ancient Midgar harvested the blood of the Planet for their own fortune, and so a One-Winged Angel appeared to reap them of their fruits, bringing the city to ruin. The angel, born of hate and destruction, could only conduct the feelings from which he was born and so did not stop with vengeance alone, but sought to destroy all, and so summoned a meteor to crash to earth and kill all that breathed. So stepped forth a Warrior of Light, who fought the angel to its dying breath. Though the angel died, his memory lived on, the meteor still fell, many died, and now we call the lesson  _Meteorfall_."

"Close enough," Sephiroth said, caught her eye, and pointed to the still-sleeping Cloud. "Warrior of Light," he declared and then gestured to himself: "One-Winged Angel."

Rhea's expression was deadpan. "I meant give me a  _serious_ answer, Seth."

"Sephiroth," he corrected, and she rolled her eyes and rose from her seat. "Going out for a bit."

Sephiroth sighed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

She left without a backwards glance, shaking her head in exasperation, just as Cloud stirred. Sephiroth moved forward, sitting on the floor next to the couch; resting his head on his arms and watching with eyes full of warmth as the blonde snuggled into his pillow. Sephiroth allowed himself a small smile.

This he could get used to.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The arena was empty, the stars were suspended against the dark blue sky above, and Neron was sliding with lighting speed through a training exercise with a gleaming black rapier, facing an invisible enemy with silver hair and a taunting grin. His mind raced as sweat poured down his back, beneath the form-fitting leather of his shirt.

He had accepted the idea that  _Sky_ could be  _Cloud_ , had quickly adjusted to the concept of his White being a secretive little bastard, had even allowed himself to believe that the slighter man had been swept away (kidnapped, taken, stolen, _unwilling_ ) by that asshole  _Seth_ , but he could not wrap his muddled mind around the idea of his White as some sort of immortal, ancient  _warrior_.

That picture had done a number on Neron's sanity. Sky,  _his_  Sky, was not what he seemed. Not at all. Not even a _little bit._ That Sky, the one that was practically draped across that monster of a bike in that grainy image, was a confident, powerful man: a Black if Neron had ever seen one. He couldn't put the two together: Cloud and Sky, Black and White. It just didn't fit – didn't make  _sense_. And what in the seven hells did  _Seth_ have to do with  _Sky_? Why had they vanished together? Did it have anything to do with the now nonexistent remains of the Ancient City of Midgar? Could that silver-haired asshole really be  _the_ Sephiroth? The One-Winged Angel? Had the stories been wrong?

 _Demolished_  was the word used for the Midgar ruins now. Not even dust, it was  _mud_  in the ocean's grasp. Only the barest foundation remained, and even that was marred with gaping slices of missing metal and concrete that could only be seen in the early hours of the morning when the tide was out.

Neron sliced at his imaginary opponent again, could feel the blood singing in his veins. The power of his swing threw up a whirlwind of pale sand, and he paused in the intricate dance of swordplay to wonder -  _could a sword do that to Midgar?_ Determined now, the man drew his rapier up over his head and took a running start, and when he neared the far end of the arena, swung as hard as his arms would allow. An earsplitting  _CRACK_  filled the air, and Neron's arms shook as his rapier was rammed deeply into the two-foot thick concrete wall that protected the bleachers from the melee. He grunted as he drew it out, the blade miraculously unmarred, and his mind was filled with all the possibility in world.

Was this the power of Midgar's long lost soldiers? He dropped his sword and slid to the ground in an ungraceful heap, taking a moment to catch his breath.

Did Sky possess such strength? Sky was his White.  _His!_  Why, oh  _why_ , did the blonde ever leave his side? They were bonded,  _paired for life_ , and hadn't Sky said that he loved Neron? Sky _had_  said it - more times than Neron could count, and every time had left Neron feeling more upbeat and happy and  _in love_. So what had gone wrong?

Silver hair. Serious eyes. A disarming smirk.

Seth.  _Sephiroth._

That man had been the tipping point for Neron's beloved Sky, though he still couldn't comprehend  _how_. Neron picked up his sword and fell into another familiar rhythm. When the time came, he would enjoy slicing that silver-haired bastard apart, no matter who he was!

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Cloud stood in Rhea's kitchen, cutting carrots with all the expertise that Tifa's training afforded. A thousand years was a long time, but he never really forgot. Sephiroth was nowhere in sight. He was out picking up Rhea's son from some kind of extended sleepover. Cloud still wasn't very good with kids, and he was a bit nervous about the arrival of another child into his life. Children naturally clung to him. However, to Cloud, they were an easy road to dependency and failure, and the blonde had no idea what to do with either concept. He had offered to help make dinner when he heard Rhea puttering around the kitchen, trying to stave his own worries, and she accepted his assistance with an approving smile.

They hadn't talked much. Sephiroth was the bridge between them, and Cloud was actually marginally resentful of the woman for her easy bond with the silver-haired man.

"So," she uttered, fussing with a pot of boiling vegetables. "Seth claims that you're the Warrior of Light from the fairy tale."

Cloud paused in chopping the carrots and frowned at her. "A...are you joking?"

She turned to smile at him. "He's funny like that."

Cloud tilted his head slightly. "Huh?"

She chuckled. "I knew he wasn't being serious. You know when I first met him, I was walking to the city to pick up a few things, and I came across him bare-ass naked in the woods. I nearly had a heart attack."

Cloud's eyes widened a little. " _What_?"

There was a commotion from the front of the house and the pounding of quick feet as a blur of a child flew into the kitchen and wrapped itself firmly around Rhea.

"Ma, Seth's home!"

"Jera," Sephiroth chided, taking off the hooded coat that he had been wearing, "I don't live here."

"Pssssssh!" replied the little boy with disdain, as his mother returned her son's enthusiastic embrace. Sephiroth merely chuckled and moved over to Cloud's side, slightly brushing against him.

"Carrots?"

Cloud shrugged and smiled softly. "I learned a long time ago."

Sephiroth's eyes filled with something like pain, and Cloud was utterly perplexed as the taller man retreated out of the room rather suddenly.

"I think you upset him," Rhea observed, trying to pry her clingy child off her person. "Jera," she told the boy, "this is Cloud. He's Seth's friend."

Jera's face scrunched up in confusion as he detached himself from his mother and regarded Cloud with wide, innocent eyes. "But Cloud is not a boy's name! Are you a girl?"

"Jera!" Rhea winced and offered the blonde an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Cloud only shrugged in response and returned to his carrot-chopping duties. He was just relieved that Jera hadn't immediately clung to him. After a few moments, Cloud was dumping the raw veggies into the pot of boiling stew, and Rhea was frowning at the door to the living room.

"Maybe you should go talk to Seth?"

"Why don't you?" Cloud snapped back, and then immediately felt guilty. "Sorry," he apologized quickly. "I just...I'll go talk to him." He washed his hands in the kitchen sink, dried them on a towel, and then speedily left the room.

Rhea gave her son an exasperated look. "Those two boys are hopeless, Jera."

"Hopeless!" Jera repeated jovially.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth was sprawled across the bed in Rhea's single guest room when Cloud walked in. The blonde didn't bother knocking or even saying anything. He just gave Sephiroth a quick once over, slipped off his boots, and crawled in the bed next to him, throwing an arm over the other man's chest and pressing his face into his shoulder.

Sephiroth finally conceded: "What are you doing?"

"Snuggling," Cloud said softly. "I'm tired of the distance. What's the point of it? We both know that this is where we're going to end up anyway."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sephiroth growled, but rolled on his side towards Cloud and wrapped himself around the smaller man. Cloud refrained from making an octopus joke, recalling Jenova's tentacles with disturbing clarity, and simply tucked himself further into the silver-haired man's embrace.

"Why did you get mad?" Cloud asked.

"Because too often I am forced to remember that you once belonged to other people."

Cloud huffed. "Since have I belonged to anyone?"

"Since now," Sephiroth muttered, implying his own manner of possession without actually saying it, but after a long pause, added, "if that is agreeable to you."

Cloud smiled against Sephiroth's chest, relieved. "It is  _now,_  but you realize that ownership goes both ways."

"We're not talking about the Black and White thing, are we?"

Cloud snorted. "Wasn't that the epitome of foolishness? The emperor should be extricated."

Sephiroth wasn't amused. "Well, you seemed to enjoy being in white,  _Cloud_."

"What about carrots made you think of the past?" Cloud wanted to know, ignoring the jab at his ego.

"Tell me the other thing first."

The blonde grimaced. "Fine. I wasn't talking about Blacks and Whites, just you and me."

Satisfied, Sephiroth answered Cloud's former question with another question: "Who taught you how to cook?"

"Tifa," Cloud said without thinking, and then he  _realized_. The blonde turned a bit so that he could stare up and directly into Sephiroth's eyes, glow hindered by the contacts that they were both forced to wear. Even so, he was momentarily caught breathless at the sharp contours of the man's pale face and the silver bangs that framed it.

"She was my friend," Cloud explained, "never anything more than that."

"And Aerith...?"

"She was Zack's," Cloud reminded, but his eyes were sad. "The part of me that loved her like that was just leftovers of his conscience, I think. In the end, she was more like a sister to me."

Sephiroth's face twisted into something a little scary. "Neron?"

Cloud winced. "We used to be very close, but...it was temporary. I did the White thing on a whim, and he was far less of an ass when I first met him. To be honest, he reminded me a little bit of you back then."

Instead of looking appeased, Sephiroth looked disgusted. Cloud laughed at the other man's expression.

"I said  _a little bit_ , Seph. Calm down!"

Sephiroth contained his annoyance with that declaration and looked away as he said, "you've had lovers."

Cloud shrugged. "A thousand years is a very long time, and as much of an immortal as I might be, I'm still just a man, Sephiroth."

"Are they all dead?"

"Probably not."

"I'll need a list then."

The blonde quirked a brow until Sephiroth leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Cloud's pale lips. Caught off-guard, Cloud made a desperate sound in the back of his throat, reached up, and got a handful of Sephiroth's gorgeous silver hair. Sephiroth slowly pulled away and licked his lips.

"I'll kill everyone who has so much as shaken your hand."

There was a polite knock on the bedroom door.

"Boys, food's ready."

Sephiroth perked up. "Coming, Rhea."

"Not in my guest bed, you aren't!"

Cloud laughed and Sephiroth joined him, nuzzling against the blonde's arm.

"Hurry up!" Rhea huffed, and her footsteps could be heard retreating down the hall.

"I am so jealous of her," Cloud grumbled. "You  _like_ her."

Sephiroth snorted. "Idiot. Come on. It's just Rhea. She's a great cook."

Cloud made a face. "I helped."

"All the better," the ex-General chided, pulling Cloud out of bed and into a slightly awkward embrace, before practically dragging the man to the kitchen.

As they sat down at the dining table to eat dinner, Rhea grinned at them both, and happily proclaimed them idiots, before digging in to her plate, and for the first time in centuries, Cloud felt at home.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Emperor Reginald was as esteemed as he was feared and he was Neron's uncle. The two sat at a long table with numerous associates: heads of different areas of responsibility. It was a fine mirror of a company long lost, except this one called itself an empire.

Emperor Reginald looked like an older version of Neron, save that his hair was absurdly long and arranged in a series of braids around his head and shoulders. His eyes were nearly black, and set under a heavy brow that gave him an air of seriousness that was rarely matched. He also sported a neatly trimmed beard that only seemed to give him an air of wisdom. He usually wore ceremonial robes that were reminiscent of long lost Wutai's ceremonial garbs, but a strong, flexible set of black armor and an assortment of weapons were always at hand if combat became necessary in close quarters. The emperor was no slouch in the ways of fighting, and his body beneath the layers of silk-blue and black robes was all hard muscle. His mind was also as sharp as crystal and quick as a summer storm.

Neron was seated towards the back of the table. He may have been third in line to the throne, but Uncle Reginald's daughter and true heir was the golden girl of the family. Her name was Hangaku. She was small for a woman and only moderately pretty. Where the modern era favored automatic weapons over swords [though at this rate, that was bound to change], Hangaku was professionally trained with the naginata, a weapon which she kept near her person at all times. Currently her naginata was leaning against the wall behind her chair, wrapped in royal blue cloth.

Between Hangaku and Neron were at least five respected individuals under Reginald's trust, that is, five on each side of the table, for a total of ten, and Neron resented every single one of them.

For this meeting, the information regarding Sky and the mysterious Seth had been presented to the Emperor, and the team's suspicions about Midgar's decimation were brought to light.

"So why haven't we capture the two fugitives yet?" asked the emperor. He turned to his daughter and raised a quizzical brow.

"Father, this is the first I've heard of the situation. It seems my Commanders thought the issue so important that they decided that it would be prominent to present to us at the same time."

"Unnecessary," stated Reginald, and then back to his underlings, "I am confident that my General can handle this issue on her own."

Hangaku sat up a little straighter, but her stoic expression never wavered.

Neron felt the familiar sting of jealousy in his gut. He didn't dare accuse the Emperor of favoritism. The man played little part in the actual structure of the Fighting Forces. He simply stepped back and let his General and Commanders take the reins. Hangaku had worked her way up the ranks on her own, and the leaders treated her as any other recruit. But for that, Neron hated her even more. After all, she nineteen now, and had recently acquired the rank of General. Her indoctrination into the army had been when she was twelve, after she had begged her father for permission. He was well-known for giving in to her every whim, especially since his wife had died at her birth. And of course, as clever and determined as she was, the Princess excelled quickly among the ranks.

Hangaku crossed her arms and leveled her dark blue eyes at Neron. "Cousin, is this information legitimate?"

He nodded. "My White Sky and the man Seth showed up in images that we pulled from the Midgar ruins."

She looked thoughtful for a short moment, before turning her gaze to the emperor. "Father, I would like permission to address this issue with Prisoner 231."

"Granted," the emperor said almost immediately, "you are dismissed to do so now."

"Excellent," she replied, and met Neron's eyes again. "Cousin, come." She stood from the table, snatching up her naginata, and made her way out of the council chambers. Neron quickly followed.

As they descended the dimly lit halls that lead to the dungeon, Hangaku dared ask: "do you still resent my superiority over your standing the army, Neron?"

"Of course not," Neron said sarcastically.

"I mean no disrespect."

"As always, you have no understanding of normal social niceties."

"I find them pointless and irritating," she said honestly, her dark ponytail swaying as she walked beside him. She tucked a thumb into her the overlarge belt that was draped over her hips and consequently, the dark gray overcoat with silver decorations that identified her as one of the Emperor's Generals. As she walked, her naginata teetered teasingly from her left hand, though Neron was well aware that she knew precisely where the covered blade swung with every passing second.

"Who are we going to see?" Neron ventured as the hallway grew slightly narrower and they passed through a series of barred doors. Hangaku opened each one with a set of metal keys that she unclipped from her belt.

"This man has been our prisoner since shortly before father's takeover of the city. To this day, we still do not know his real name, but he was pivotal in concocting the formula for the enhanced soldiers."

"Why have I never heard of him?"

"He's more irritating than he is useful," she said with a frown, leading him to a door labeled "231". She tipped a key into the lock, and then they were stepping into a dimly lit room. Neron froze almost immediately upon seeing the prisoner. The man was wrapped in so many chains that one could barely make heads or tails of his clothes or body shape. His hair was messy and auburn and his eyes were a medium shade of blue that glowed faintly in the pale lighting. The man looked positively ill; his skin was drawn tight across his face and what little could be seen of the rest of his body. The man was clearly barely conscious, but his eyes settled on Hangaku and flared with annoyance.

Neron was angry now as he was reminded once again that the Emperor never told him anything of importance. "He's already enhanced?"

"The original. He was like this when father captured him dormant in the Niju Mountains twenty years ago. He may look a bit haggard, but he hasn't aged a day since he was captured, and he rarely says anything new."

The prisoner smirked a bit and whispered: " _Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul._ "

"He's mad," Neron observed, thinking that the words didn't make even a modicum of sense.

" _Wings stripped away, the end is nigh,"_ continued the prisoner, eyes falling on Neron.

"We have a question for you," Hangaku said, leaning her naginata on the near wall and pulling two pictures from inside her coat. Neron caught a glimpse of them and grimaced, but when Hangaku held up the first picture to the prisoner, he merely raised a brow.

"Do you recognize this man?"

The auburn-haired man rolled his eyes. " _Hero of the Dawn, Healer of Worlds_."

The princess nodded, and Neron looked at her questioningly. "That usually means yes," she explained.

He interjected, "but that doesn't tell us  _who_  he is."

" _Hero of Worlds_ ," repeated the prisoner firmly, voice barely whisper and much more chilling than it had been before. Neron absently palmed the hilt of the sword at his hip.

"It's something to work with," Hangaku said agreeably and held up the second picture.

The prisoner got barely a glimpse of it, before he threw back his head and laughed loudly, shocking Neron and Hangaku both. To Neron, the laugh almost sounded pained and a smidge menacing.

"Who is he?" Hangaku asked, brows raised.

" _Wings of light and dark spread afar…my **friend**_."

"This is useless," Neron growled, but admittedly had gotten chills when the prisoner had uttered the word "wings". He badly did not want Seth to be Sephiroth or the One-Winged Angel, if such a thing ever existed.

"Speak plainly," Hangaku snapped at the man.

"Dead," was the reply, short and bitter. "It matters not."

"This man walks the streets of my city merely days ago."

"The picture is old," said the prisoner, voice full of certainty, as if denying the very possibility.

"Tell me anyway."

"Let me go," he purred back.

"Leniencies can be given," she said, but nothing in her tone of voice indicated that her words were true.

The prisoner gave an irritated huff, and retorted: "You know your tales, I'm sure. It actually says his name on the bit of the poster that you've clipped this off of. Why do you need me to tell you again?"

"So he is Sephiroth, then, but  _who_ was Sephiroth? What is he capable of?"

"Is he the One-Winged Angel?" Neron added, ready for this strange conversation to be over.

The prisoner let a grin slowly overtake his features. "My, my, aren't you all  _confident_. Poor little brats. Neither of you could go toe-to-toe with him in an arena."

"He is stronger than you?" Hangaku wanted to know.

The man's expression was bitter. "Perhaps."

"And the other one?" she held up the picture of Sky again.

"I don't know much about him."

"What do you know?"

Neron saw impatience pass over the prisoner's face. "I've already told you."

"Tell us his  _name_."

Neron stepped back when he realized that the prisoner had the chains stretched to their limits, as they creaked in unison.

"It's nearly time for your tranquilizer," Hangaku said with a small grin, reaching for her naginata nonetheless. Someone cleared his throat behind them. A scientist stood in the doorway with a loaded syringe.

"Oh joy," said the prisoner as the new man stepped forward and, without ceremony, plunged the needle into the captive's neck.

Hangaku sighed. "He'll be unconscious before long. Let's go."

Neron followed Hangaku back to the upper levels, but his mind never left the prisoner in his cell.

_There is no hate, only joy_

_For you are beloved by the Goddess_

_Hero of the Dawn, Healer of Worlds_

_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul_

_Pride is lost._

_Wings stripped away, the end is nigh._

_[Loveless, Act II]_

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

There was a time long ago, when Cloud viewed Sephiroth as the man that he wanted to be. He was obsessed with the General even beyond the moment that he first began to understand that he could never be equal to the object of his dreams. Over the many long centuries, Cloud never developed relationships that ran deeper than the bare surface (at least, not on his part) because love had ripped him into pieces long ago, and there was scarcely anything left of his soul to give, but the re-arrival of Sephiroth had been the glue and tape that was slowly pulling him back together.

_My soul is patchwork. My soul is a broken vase that is slowly being glued back together. My soul is irrelevant because Rhea seems to be upset with me about something and I am actually a little bit afraid._

"I need to understand what's going on here," she explained to Cloud as they shared the couch. She was glaring as she spoke, and Cloud was slowly but surely withdrawing, until she held up a hand.

"Please? If your presence here is putting my child at risk, I have a right to know the truth."

Cloud had always been a sucker for the guilt card. He sighed.

"Okay, but let me get Seth? He's going to have to help me explain."

Rhea nodded. "He's in the shower. I'll be waiting." She crossed her arms.

Cloud darted down the hallway to the tiny bathroom and poked his head in the door. Sephiroth was completely hidden by the shower curtain, and Cloud had to speak up over the spray of hot water.

"Seph, Rhea wants an explanation."

"I've tried," Sephiroth called back. "She didn't believe me."

"I know, but we can show her the truth."

Sephiroth's head appeared from behind the curtain, and Cloud's mind wandered into dangerous territory at the sight of that drenched face staring back at him.

"I know a way," he explained, mouth dry, "but I need you."

"Ten minutes."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth stood in the living room next to Cloud. The ex-General was in a pair of loose sweats with a towel wrapped around his head. He was shirtless and looking a bit irritated, but Cloud's teeth weren't on edge for that reason. The blonde just really wasn't used to seeing the other man act so blatantly  _domestic_. Apparently, there was still a part of Cloud that viewed Sephiroth as the unreachable, invincible, perfect warrior. And that feeling was hard to smother out.

"Okay, Cloud…what's the plan?" Sephiroth asked, frowning at Rhea's skeptical expression.

"Right," Cloud said quickly. "Your wing. Show her that."

" _Pardon_?" Rhea piped in.

"Oh," Sephiroth gasped. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Cloud smirked.

"You're kidding!" Rhea said loudly. "I'm not in the mood for jokes, boys!"

Without fanfare, Sephiroth unleashed his single, black wing. It appeared in a flash, black feathers gleaming over his right shoulder. It was all a disaster, however, for the first order of business for Sephiroth's great and mighty feathered appendage was to promptly knock over a lamp. Cloud put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Rhea didn't even take the time to gape. She rushed across the room to rescue her lamp, placed it safely out of Sephiroth's wingspan, and then turned on them both. In a screechy, panicked, angry tone, she demanded: "Put that thing away!  _You're getting feathers everywhere!"_

Sephiroth meekly withdrew his wing, wincing as it slid completely back into place, and the skin on his back healed instantly. Cloud stepped behind him when the scent of blood met his nostrils and asked worriedly, "Does it hurt to do that? There's blood all over your back."

Sephiroth shrugged. "It's not that bad."

"You're going to need another shower," Cloud pointed out.

The taller man slumped a little.

They both turned their eyes back to Rhea, who looked a little shell-shocked.

"Shower, Seth… _Seph_? It's Sephiroth, isn't it?" she shuddered.

"Go," Cloud said, gently shoving Sephiroth back down the hall. "I'll talk to her."

And so he did.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Genesis Rhapsodos was having a rough couple of decades. Upon emerging from a long slumber in the Niju Mountains twenty years ago, he was drugged and dragged into the hands of a man named Reginald, who was in the center of a hostile takeover of a powerful city called Perna. After the takeover, Genesis was slapped into the palace dungeons and there he had remained, visited only by the scientists who drugged him to keep him from escaping, and Reginald himself, on occasion. In more recent years, the Emperor's prodigal daughter had taken a shine to him.

Hangaku was like a slap in the face. She was a female version of General Sephiroth if there ever was one. Genesis had entertained the idea that the man had actually been reborn into the girl for the first few months after meeting her, but had shaken that off as a few more years passed, and she revealed herself to be perhaps even more solitary and secretive than his old friend had ever been.

When she had shown him the pictures of none other than Cloud Strife and Sephiroth, Genesis had actually pitied her.  _She may be a prodigy, but she's no match for either of them._

He knew it would probably be more accurate to remember Sephiroth as an enemy, but for some reason he was having difficulty with the concept.

Although Genesis was left wondering if Cloud and Sephiroth had really teamed up, the world outside did not sound like it was falling apart, and surely if those two idiots fought each other, the world would tremble as it had so long ago. Like Genesis, Cloud and Sephiroth were forces to be reckoned with, and of course, a small part of Genesis was a tiny bit excited. Sephiroth was alive and kicking, which meant that perhaps the world would stop being so boring. However, Cloud would undoubtedly be a wild card in the grand scheme of things. The blonde always was.

Regardless, escape was imminent, and Genesis couldn't wait to slaughter the fool who'd dare keep him prisoner for two decades.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

As Hangaku descended the halls to the prison cells, nervous anxiety swelled in her gut. For reasons unknown, perhaps even to herself, she hadn't brought the naginata that day. She found 231's cell and slid inside, eying the chained up man with worry.

"Hangaku," he said, smirking. "Back so soon? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

It took her a moment to answer. "I'm worried about my father."

"You should be," he said sharply, eyes narrowing. "He has quite a few powerful enemies, as leaders often do."

"That's not what I meant," she retorted. "He's used the enhancement formula on himself and on many of our men."

"I see," said the prisoner. "You worried that it might not work correctly?"

"What are the side effects?"

The man laughed. "It depends on so many different factors. I have no idea how the new formula was concocted, so how am I to know?"

"You know why. We used your cells to make it."

"Along with some seedy documents that you pulled from Ancient Midgar, you mean? Yes, that was a risky move. They only got it right the once, you know."

Hangaku paled. "Once?"

"On the documents you found, whose name was on them? Hojo, Gast, or Hollander?"

"Crescent."

The prisoner's expression went a little sour. "Wild card again," he whispered. "Interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"Lucrecia Crescent was Sephiroth's biological mother."

Hangaku was frozen, her eyes wide. "Lu…Lucrecia?"

The prisoner frowned. "Does that name mean something to you, Princess?"

"It has to be a coincidence," she muttered.

" _What?_ "

Her dark blue eyes met the prisoner's paler ones. "Though she was not well known, my mother's name was Lucrecia."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

"So it's Reginald, Hangaku, Bartholomew, and Neron," Sephiroth counted. "They royal line - the ones we have be rid of."

"Hangaku is nineteen," Rhea stated, picking at her dinner with a fork. "I've seen her in Narga before. She was rather withdrawn but not hostile or cruel."

"A General at nineteen. A prodigy," Cloud shared a look with Sephiroth, who shrugged.

"She's an obstacle," he pointed out. "You were quite young when you faced me, and your friends were even younger."

Cloud winced as some of his darker memories surfaced: Aerith speared by Masamune, people burning in the aftermath of Meteorfall, the fire at Nibelheim, people being slaughtered by the monsters summoned by the remnants.

"She's not enhanced," he argued. "She's barely an adult."

"If Jenova was still around, we wouldn't even be talking about this. The royal family would already be rust on our blades and you know it."

"I'd forgotten how merciless you can be," Cloud muttered, looking sad.

Sephiroth glared. "I was a young General as well. I wish I'd been killed before I was exposed to Jenova or even to Wutai. I decimated their army, Cloud, and I had no regrets."

"She's not like that."

"You don't even know her. Stop projecting."

"Shut up!" Rhea snarled, silently pleased that Jera wasn't present to hear the argument. "I understand that you have both been through a lot, but I won't listen to you argue about this. It's like you can't be bothered to consider an alternative that doesn't end in murder. Have you considered  _talking_ to the royal family? Explain the dangers of what they're doing. They might listen."

"They've posted wanted posters throughout every city and town in the country. We're fugitives, Rhea. They don't want to listen to what we have to say."

She rolled her eyes. "Fools! Are you or are you not legends? Do you think they could hold you, even if they did capture you?"

Cloud and Sephiroth exchanged glances.

"Maybe," Sephiroth admitted.

"Not if we have materia," Cloud decided, "but that's at the off-chance that they'd let us keep our weapons if we went to talk to them. They could just as easily use them against us."

"They'd die trying. It takes months of training to use even the most basic of materia. Any one of them would die just trying to tap into a weak Summon materia."

Cloud nodded in agreement.

"There's another thing," Rhea interjected. "They've been releasing information about the newly enhanced soldiers." She held up a newspaper that had been sitting next to her on the table and read: " _In creating the enhancement serum, the DNA of an ancient test subject was used, along with documents that archeologists discovered in the Midgar Ruins, which were recently mysteriously destroyed."_

"Ancient test subject?" Sephiroth said sharply, sharing a look with Cloud. "Like Jenova?"

"What else was in the old Shinra building?"

"In Hojo's labs? Who knows," Sephiroth growled.

"It doesn't say that the subject came from Shinra," Rhea pointed out.

Cloud stiffened. "Vincent…?"

"I doubt it. He was Chaos, right? The new soldier's eyes glow more like mako. Weren't his red?"

"They are," Cloud stated, carefully avoiding the issue of Vincent Valentine's continued existence. "But who else could they possibly have found? Another SOLDIER?"

They both considered the possibilities in silence, before Cloud finally gasped in realization.

"Genesis," he breathed.

Sephiroth frowned as an old anxious feeling assailed him. "But he was degrading. He didn't die?"

"He was cured," Cloud remembered, "though I don't know how, and I haven't seen him in centuries. It  _could_  be him."

"They never could have captured him," Sephiroth retorted. "Genesis was an exemplary SOLDIER."

"Hojo managed to get me and Zack back then. It was also well-known that he had a knack for handling you. If Genesis was tired or something, all it would take is a really strong sedative."

Sephiroth swore under his breath. "It means that, if it is indeed him, that they're keeping him prisoner."

"It's possible."

Sephiroth sighed. "He won't be happy to see me."

"Sephiroth, I think we need to go talk to this Emperor. Rhea's right. There's no need to end this in bloodshed. It also puts Genesis at risk, if he really is there."

"Bartholomew is Mayor here," Rhea reminded gently. "You may want to go speak to him first."

"We won't put you at risk," Sephiroth said quickly. "We need to leave from here immediately without drawing attention to ourselves."

Cloud took a deep breath, and watched Sephiroth worriedly as he said, "We should go talk to Neron."

The silver-haired man stiffened, but nodded. "I agree."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Neron was home early one evening, though the sun was already setting in the distant sky. He walked into his mansion and pulled off his coat in a practice gesture. He went straight to shower, then put on some more comfortable clothes, and even grabbed a snack from the kitchen before finally entering the living room to relax.

He took one step into the large room and froze. Sky (Cloud) and Seth (Sephiroth) sat side-by-side on his overlarge sofa. One eyed him with disappointment, the other with disgust.

"Half an hour," Seth hissed. "Pitiful."

"Not helping, Seph," Cloud growled and stood up.

Neron actually took a step back. Seeing a picture was one thing, but seeing Sky dressed in not only black, but in what was clearly  _combat gear_ , was utterly shell shocking. The blonde's eyes glowed brightly, not the dark blue that Neron was familiar with, but an overwhelming neon lapis lazuli. There was a collection of belts wrapped around his torso, and Neron somewhat fearfully recognized them for what they were: a very complex sword harness. Sky definitely had  _not_ been wearing that in the old photo. Fortunately, the blonde's sword was absent. Neron wondered vaguely what it looked like.

What made the situation even more disconcerting was Sky's very demeanor. The man carried himself completely differently now. He took two steps closer to Neron and the Lieutenant backed nearly out of the room in fright. Sky did not walk, he  _prowled_. Every shift of his form and sway of his hands, and even the sweep of his eyes was predatory.

Seth stood up impatiently behind Sky, and Neron discovered a new level of fear as the silver-haired man swayed neatly forward to stand beside Sky and glowered for all he was worth. There was a static-y quality to the air that Neron had never before experienced in the man's presence, and he had to wonder faintly whether or not this was how it felt to be around the mysterious Seth when he was not acting or hiding the truth.

"We want to talk," Sky said pleadingly, his voice toned at a lower, more confident pitch than the one Neron was used to.

"This will be your only opportunity to convince Cloud that I shouldn't kill you," Seth said threateningly. "Make it count."

Neron drew in a deep breath, stood as straight as he could manage and walked past them to his favorite chair. He turned and sat in it with as much dignity as he could muster, but he was trembling. Sky and Seth moved back over to the couch, where they sat practically in unison and leveled their glowing gazes in Neron's direction.

_Uncle Reginald, I haven't seen either of them fight seriously, but I can honestly say this now: something tells me that we have utterly underestimated these two._

"What?" Neron said, seething.

"The formula that your scientists are giving Reginald's soldiers…it's dangerous."

Neron rolled his eyes. "I've been given the formula."

"Clearly," Seth growled. "The glowing eyes are a dead giveaway."

"A long time ago, we called it mako," Sky interjected, shooting Seth a warning look. "Mako is the main ingredient, combined with the cells of…"

"A monster," Seth hissed. "A creature not from this world."

"So?" Neron snapped.

"Back then, the SOLDIERs enhanced with mako either mutated or degraded or just plain went insane. The doses had to be concentrated to regulate that sort of thing, but even then, there were problems." Sky relaxed into the couch, leaning noticeably closer to Seth. "The company that created the SOLDIERs tried keeping that under wraps, until it became impossible."

"But there were successes,  _clearly_ , or neither of you would be here," Neron pointed out.

"I told you," Seth said to Sky. "He knows too much already, and he's just like them."

"Even Rufus started to sense in the end, Seph," Sky muttered pointedly, making Neron frown. It sounded like an old argument between them.

Seth met Neron's eyes. "If you dare call either of us a success, knowing who we are, then you are an idiot."

"And just who are you then?" Neron chided.

"Don't pretend that you don't know," Sky said angrily. "Your people have been poking around in Midgar, which was an entirely stupid thing to do. I'm sure you know  _something_  by now."

"What we know, we are having a hard time believing," Neron said sharply. "That both of you were alive over a thousand years ago is hard to believe."

"What did you find?" Seth asked, genuinely curious.

" _Pictures_ ," Neron spat, "of Sky and of you,  _General Sephiroth_."

"So you do know," Sky uttered, crossing his arms. "I'm surprised you're not freaking out more."

"Freaking out?! You expect me to believe that this man is the legendary One-Winged Angel?" Neron practically shrieked, gesitculating wildly.

"We don't  _care_ what you decide to believe," Seth growled. "All we care about is that you cease using the formula."

"Well, even if I gave a shit, there's nothing I can do about that. It's not my call," Neron grumbled. "And you're also both wanted men. Do you honestly think I'm not going to report this?"

Seth stood slowly from his seat. "I think now is ideal, Cloud."

"Sky, what is he talking about?" Neron snarled, shooting to his feet.

"His name is  _Cloud_ ," Seth snapped. "He's not your fucking  _submissive_ anymore."

Sky shot up to his feet, standing between them. "Sephiroth, you promised…not today," he reminded, but he was facing Neron, muscles tense.

After a long pause, Seth seemed to relax a little. "Fine," he said, giving in. Sky nodded and started to turn away, but Neron couldn't help but have the last word:

"You should have let him attack me, Sky. I'd very much like to beat the hell out of that  _monster_."

To Neron's shock, it wasn't Seth, but  _Sky_ who reacted to the insult. The blonde was across the room in an instant, slamming Neron up against a wall with one hand around his throat.

"You ignorant bastard," Sky growled.

"S-Sky!" Neron gasped, struggling to breath.

" _My name is Cloud!_ " Cloud snarled. "You and your idiotic fucking family needs to stop assuming that they know  _anything_  about what they're getting into. If something doesn't change soon, then the planet itself will rip this city the fuck  _apart_ , and Gaia help me, I swear to you that I'll just sit back and  _watch_!"

A gloved hand appeared on Cloud's shoulder and Neron found himself looking desperately into the eyes of Sephiroth.

"If you kill him, you'll forever regret it, Cloud."

Cloud didn't seem to hear him. In fact, the blonde's grip around Neron's throat actually seemed to grow tighter.

Sephiroth actually sighed, before shifting his voice an octave lower, and snapping out crisply: " _Strife,_ let him go."

Cloud stiffened, and something altogether foreign flashed across his face, before he dropped Neron to the floor, taking a step back.

Sephiroth heedlessly put an arm around Cloud's shoulders, but his eyes never left Neron, who was coughing and gasping desperately for breath.

"This was your warning. Share it with your betters, and hope to the Goddess that they listen. If not, we're coming for all of you."

Neron heard the sound of retreating boots, and it was even longer after they had vanished that he caught his breath again. He sought out his cell phone and stared morosely at the screen for nearly ten minutes, before putting it down again. He couldn't even report them to Reginald; he was too terrified. And something was niggling at his brain, something that sort of wondered if Cloud and Sephiroth had had a point.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Cloud and Sephiroth couldn't stay in the city, so they had rented out a small hotel room in a small town to the south. They were stuck sharing a room with single bed, because Cloud couldn't risk accessing his bank account, and Sephiroth hadn't had much money to begin with. There twin bikes were sitting in the darkest corner of the parking lot, clearly visible from the single window in the hotel room.

"You call your bike Fenrir," Seth was saying, checking on the bikes for the tenth time that evening. He was watching the bikes from the window, dressed in a huge baggy t-shirt and some old gray sweats. "What's the other one called?"

"I haven't named it," Cloud admitted, joining Sephiroth next to the window. "You can, if you want. It's yours now."

Sephiroth was surprised at how easily Cloud passed on ownership, but he didn't show it. "Fenrir is a wolf, right?"

"Son of Loki, killer of Odin," Cloud recited. "My mother told me the tales as a child. She called them our Ancestors, even though no one else in Nibelheim believed in them. Fenrir was always my favorite."

"Kali," Sephiroth decided then.

"For the Goddess of Change and Time," Cloud declared, approval in his voice. "Aren't you tired?"

"And still annoyed," Sephiroth said quietly. "I half regret not letting you finish Neron."

"I'm glad you stopped me."

"I feel as if we may regret that move in the future."

Cloud stared at Fenrir and Kali across the parking lot. "He's not horrible. He may just come to his senses. But enough of that," he grabbed Sephiroth's hand and tugged him over to the bed. "We both need sleep."

Sephiroth looked doubtfully at the tiny bed. "I doubt we'll sleep comfortably on that rock, if at all."

Cloud snorted. "We've both had worse."

"I slept on the ground in Wutai," Sephiroth muttered, "but somehow, I still think this bed is worse."

"If you don't want to sleep with me, just say so," Cloud teased, though the tone of his voice left plenty of room for doubt.

Sephiroth frowned. "I did  _not_ say that."

He moved to join Cloud on the bed, spooning the blonde from behind and burying his face in the slighter man's wild hair. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Cloud finally admitted: "I think my side is going numb. It really is a rock."

Sephiroth snickered against the back of Cloud's neck, and rolled onto his back, pulling Cloud with him.

"Ugh," Cloud grunted, adjusting himself to lie face-first against Sephiroth's chest. "Much better," he exclaimed finally.

"Well, don't get too comfortable. I expect you to do the same for me in a few hours."

Cloud laughed. "Um, you'll probably smother me in your sleep."

"It's the hair," Sephiroth defended, "both a blessing and a curse."

"It's not just the hair. You're like seven feet tall."

"Am not," Sephiroth argued childishly.

"And Masamune is at least ten feet long," Cloud teased. "I still haven't figured out how you use that thing."

"You're one to talk," Sephiroth retorted. "First Tsurugi has like 37 parts. It's ridiculous."

"I like a bit of variety."

"I like  _you_ ," Sephiroth pointed out, wrapping his arms around Cloud's waist.

"Cheesy," the blonde accused, but lifted his own arms so he could play with Sephiroth's hair.

"Who's being cheesy?" Sephiroth whispered, closing his eyes. "I can't wait for all of those imbeciles to see what they've really been missing. You're going to  _terrify_ them."

"Should we put on a show? Downtown Perna. You can wear your wing."

"Mmmm," Sephiroth purred sleepily. "I just want to kiss you in front of everyone."

"Can't imagine what would have happened if we would have done that back then."

Sephiroth's eyes opened to slits. "I came really close on that rooftop. There was a not-so-subtle part of my batshit insanity that was screaming for me to do it."

"I would have let you," Cloud whispered. "That scares me, actually."

"Me, too."

Cloud pulled his body forward, letting it slide over Sephiroth's, and pushed their mouths together. He felt the other man's tongue meet his own and they spent a great deal of time battling for dominance, as they did in all things. Eventually, the need for air forced them to break apart. After a while, they both had calmed down, and Cloud fell asleep listening to Sephiroth's gentle snoring.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The palace court yard was lined with soldiers, and on the great stone steps leading to the entrance stood the Emperor himself, flocked by two Generals and a few other select high ranking officers. Below them, standing alone, was General Hangaku, the first heir to Reginald's throne. She had a gun strapped to one hip, but her naginata gleamed proudly in her grip, its curved, golden blade shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

Today her hair was twisted into a long, tight braid that fell down her narrow back and swayed gently in the passing breeze. She wore thin, black armor and a tight dark gray suit. Fitting most of all, however, was the silver crown gleaming across her brow.

"I call to order, on this day of the High Year, Princess Hangaku of Perna, Third General of the Fighting Forces, woman unto her own," said First General Hawking. "The Princess is now twenty-years-old, and of her Great Father and Emperor, she may make one request alone. Shall it be plausible, the request shall be granted. Shall it not, she shall be granted a different request."

"Hangaku," Emperor Reginald said loudly, "what do you ask of me this High Year?"

Hangaku had thought long and hard of what her request would be. "Father, Emperor, I ask only one thing of thee. Complete responsibility of Prisoner 231."

A surprised muttering arose from the soldiers and the Emperor's crowd. Reginald himself seemed perplexed by her request.

"Why?"

"I need him to capture the fugitives. You know of whom I speak."

Reginald frowned. "The request is not meant for work, dear Hangaku."

"It is meant to please me," she reminded. "And this will."

"He is dangerous," Reginald warned.

"I know, father."

The Emperor stood tall, decision made.

"To my daughter, Princess Hangaku, I grant this one request. Happy Birthday, my heir."

She bowed.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Hangaku faced the prisoner in 231. A small group of soldiers also filed into the space of the cell.

" _Infinite in mystery is the Gift of the Goddess,_ " the prisoner stated, glancing around curiously.

"I have been given full responsibility of you, 231," Hangaku declared.

" _I offer thee this silent sacrifice_."

"Release him," Hangaku ordered, and the soldiers began unwrapping the chains from the prisoner.

"You were drugged very recently," Hangaku said sharply. "I expect you to do as I say, prisoner."

"I'm listening," the prisoner finally replied.

"You will follow me in every measure."

"As you say," he chided, just as they finished unwinding the final chain. Beneath the metal, the man's clothes were in rags, the imprint of the chains covered his arms and legs, and a bad smell wafted from his thin form. The soldier's unlocked the shackles from around his ankles and wrists, and the man very nearly fell over, before one of Hangaku's men was able to catch him, though the soldier looked positively repulsed.

"Help him to my chambers. One of you fetch him some fresh clothes and boots. Have a maid draw a bath for him in my own suite."

The soldiers rushed to follow her commands, as she turned her back on them. Hangaku's men took the prisoner and followed her up to her rooms, where she ordered them to drop the man on an empty sofa and take their leave. They protested, of course, but the princess would hear none of it. The men took their leave after that.

Hangaku's maid then informed her that a bath had been drawn. She recruited the maid to help her take the prisoner to the bathroom.

"You will bathe," Hangaku told him as they deposited him on the toilet next to the tub. "Leave the old clothes on the floor. Towels are under the sink. Can you manage on your own? I expect you won't try to escape?"

"Of course not," the man said, "I'm in no condition to do so just yet."

"Just get cleaned up," she hissed, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

Genesis stripped down to his bare skin and climbed in the lukewarm bath. He groaned as the water stung his sensitive skin, but grew more and more comfortable as his enhancements finally kicked in again and his body started to rapidly heal. He wasn't kidding about not being able to attempt escape. He had lost nearly all of his muscle tone over the past two decades. Fortunately, if he ate right and got a bit of exercise over the next few weeks, it would return quickly. He was rather miffed as to why the princess was allowing him such freedom, however.

_Either she's a fool or she wants something that she thinks I can give her. The woman has no idea what she's unleashed._

Nearly half an hour passed while he lingered in the bath, until finally Hangaku knocked loudly on the door.

"Did you drown?" she asked.

"You wish," he said cheerfully back. "Give me just a few more minutes. I'm quite enjoying this."

"You're not meant to be enjoying it," she said hotly.

"Well, no one told me that."

"You're a  _prisoner_ , idiot. No one should have to."

He sighed. "Ten minutes, dear Hangaku."

He washed up and drained the tub, found a towel and dried off, then found a pile of clean clothes near the sink that he guessed he was expected to wear. They were extremely loose, but at least they fit. Before heading out, he snagged an extra toothbrush and set about brushing his teeth until his gums bled. It had been far too long.

Genesis eventually emerged from the bath, stretching and grinning.

Hangaku gave him a wide-eyed look, eyes sweeping over his bare arms and neck. "You've healed already?"

He shrugged and fell gracefully onto an empty chair. " _Wings of light and dark spread afar, she guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."_

"What is that nonsense constantly spewing forth from your mouth?" Hangaku finally,  _finally_  asked. Genesis had waited  _years_  for her to ask that question.

" _Loveless_ ," he explained, meeting her eyes. "An epic poem long lost to time and a personal favorite of mine."

"Interesting," she admitted, crossing her arms. "Now I think it would be pertinent for me to explain your position."

"Explain away."

"You are still a prisoner of this house, but you will serve your sentence as my personal servant, so long as you are willing to answer some of my questions about Cloud and Sephiroth and the soldier enhancements."

"You say that now," Genesis warned, "but at full strength, I might not be so willing to stay."

"I am aware. I don't intend to keep you prisoner forever anyway. Your purpose here is spent. We have the enhancement formula. My father doesn't need you anymore. That is why it was so simple to get him to give you to me."

"I think-" Genesis was mid-sentence when someone stormed into Hangaku's rooms unannounced.

Hangaku leapt to her feet in anger, but most of her anger diminished when she identified the rude man who had just stormed into her room.

The intruder was General Hawking.

"What is the meaning of this, Hangaku?" he roared. The man was large and very strongly built, and his voice carried. There was also a diagonal scar that marred what was once his handsome face. The Princess had no idea where he'd gotten it.

"Keep it down," Hangaku pleaded.

Hawking pointed an accusing finger at the prisoner. "This man is  _extremely dangerous,_ girl! I know you weren't there when we found him, but I was. He  _cannot_ be allowed to wander about. He's a monster!"

Genesis laughed lightly and rose from his seat. "Ah, yes, I remember. I tossed you around those caves like a rag doll, didn't I? I gave you that pretty scar. I wonder…whatever did you morons do with my rapier?"

"Sit down!" Hangaku screamed at him.

Genesis ignored her and stepped closer and closer to the angry General. "Imagine if you fools hadn't caught me half out of my sleep and hit me with that tranquilizer, the kind of damage I could have done. You'd all be dead now, even your precious Emperor."

Hangaku had to hold Hawking back, before the man could rush at Genesis.

"Stop it, Hawking! I need him to capture those two fugitives."

She roughly threw the man across the room. "Get out!  _Now!"_

" _Your father will hear about this!"_ the other General growled.

"As he will hear about you barging into my rooms unannounced. I  _will not tell you again, Hawking!"_

He left, slamming the door behind him, and Genesis laughed. Hangaku turned on him.

"Sit down, idiot!"

He ignored her again. Wiping a tear from his eye, he offered: "I once thought of you like a young, female Sephiroth, but I was completely wrong. You're far more like me."

She sat down again, and covered her face with her hands and groaned. "I didn't think you'd be so annoying."

He smirked. "Oh, you have  _no idea_."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Cloud and Sephiroth rode Fenrir and Kali back into the city. The roar of the cycles drowned out the sounds of passing traffic, but they also caught a lot of attention. They just didn't make bikes like these any more. After all, these monsters were suited for combat and complex maneuvering, which Sephiroth was apparently enjoying. He weaved in and out of traffic, practically drove circles around Cloud when space allowed (and sometimes even when it didn't, which never failed to put Cloud's teeth on edge). When traffic got truly ridiculous, they could often be found idling next to each other, keeping their eyes on the pedestrians, and having vague conversations about the weather.

It had been nearly a month since their meeting with Neron, and to their surprise, the man actually managed to contact them at the hotel they had been hiding in, expressing the desire for another get-together. Though Sephiroth and Cloud had realized that it was probably a trap, they went along with it anyway, both bored and not overly worried about the potential ambush they might be walking into.

When finally they arrived at the stadium where Neron had asked them to show, it was already teeming with spectators. They parked the bikes a few blocks away, bought their tickets, and headed into the seating area. Neron had claimed that he would be able to find them, so they took their seats and watched as the tournament began. Cloud and Sephiroth were both equally thrilled to have someone to whine to about the frankly terrible swordsmen in the melee.

"That man is far too stiff with a katana."

"What kind of footwork is that?"

"Is he trying to get stabbed?"

"She's not bad, but she'd be far more consistent with a longer weapon."

"That man shouldn't be allowed anywhere  _near_  a sword."

Cloud and Sephiroth ended up laughing at the ridiculousness of some of the fighters, their shoulders pressed together, and their eyes gleaming. It wasn't until someone sitting behind them thought to question their attitudes that they toned it down.

"Some of us are actually trying to enjoy the show here," snapped a familiar, female voice. Cloud jerked around in his seat.

"Elda?"

" _Sky?!"_ the White gasped. "Since when are you a Black?"

"Long story," Cloud said, as Sephiroth turned slightly in his seat.

"Hello, again," Elda greeted cheerfully.

"I remember you," Sephiroth said, ducking his head in acknowledgement.

"And you're the one who stole little Sky away," she cooed. "And converted him?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Please don't remind me. I still have issues recalling him as a White." The man shuddered and Cloud nudged him in the side.

"Forgive me for this, but aren't you wanted men?" Elda's Black asked. Cloud knew the man fairly well. He wasn't one of Neron's closest friends, nor was the man in the military, but he still might be a threat to them.

"Yes," Cloud said sharply, meeting the man's eyes, just as Elda turned on him. "Problem, dear?"

He glanced over them thoughtfully and shrugged. "Nope."

"Good," Sephiroth said flatly. "Now, Elda, was it? How the hell did Cloud ever manage as a White?"

She giggled. "Quite well actually, though I did sometimes think he was a little too snarky to be one of us."

"You're snarky," Cloud protested weakly.

"He did look pretty hot in those white little numbers though," she told Sephiroth. "You should have seen the things he used to wear back when he first got with Neron."

" _Elda!_ " Cloud said, turning red.

Sephiroth gave the woman a conspiring look. "Do tell."

"I  _hope_ I'm not interrupting anything," said a new voice from the stairs that ran up between the seats.

"Oh, it's you," Sephiroth growled, meeting the newcomer's eyes. "Neron-moron."

"I believe you two are waiting for me, though I'd be more than happy to leave you behind with Elda,  _Seth."_

Sephiroth smiled sweetly. "Oh, I doubt that. If I leave him alone with you, who's to stop him from ripping your throat out, hm?"

Cloud turned back to Elda. "Neanderthals."

She outright laughed, as Cloud rose to follow Neron from their seats. Sephiroth followed them, leaving Elda and her Black with a friendly farewell. Neron led them to a VIP lounge on one of the upper levels. It was empty, of course.

They took their seats around a table, and Neron cut right to the chase.

"I want to help you. You said the formula's not safe. You said that it could cause bigger problems. I want to know what. I don't want that to happen."

" _Damn_ ," Sephiroth cursed.

"I told you," Cloud said smugly. "Alright, Neron. You'll have to answer all of our questions."

"Fine."

Cloud nodded. "Who is the test subject that they're using to make the formula?"

Neron frowned. "I don't understand. What subject? Are you talking about a person?"

"The papers suggested as much."

Neron sighed and crossed his arms. "It must have been him, then. There's a prisoner in the palace dungeons. They don't know his name or anything, but he was captured during Uncle Reginald's takeover. The guy is nuts though."

"You've seen him?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes, though he was covered in chains, and they have to keep him sedated most of the time."

"Describe him."

"Auburn hair, glowing blue eyes, likes to spout off poetry at random intervals."

Sephiroth groaned, but Cloud actually chuckled.

"I can't believe he's still quoting that awful play."

"How many soldiers have been enhanced?" Cloud wondered.

"Several hundred."

"No side effects?"

"I don't know."

"Neron, you've been enhanced. Any issues?"

He sighed. "I'm tired and far more irritable than I used to be, but that might be because my fucking White left me, converted, and started dating a legendary pariah."

"All things considered, I'm sorry," Cloud said tiredly. "I didn't expect him to come back. Last time I saw this guy, we weren't on friendly terms. And well, he died." The blonde shrugged, as if that were no big deal.

"I'm sorry," Neron said seriously, "he  _died_? Then how is he here?"

"This is my fourth time coming back to life. It's not really that impressive anymore, and Cloud…you've died at least once, right?" Sephiroth gave Cloud a questioning look.

"Yeah, killed by the remnants, but…how did you know?"

"The lifestream. They were  _my_ remnants, you know. Their memories counted as mine, whether I wanted them or not."

"I am so utterly confused right now," Neron admitted. "Cloud, who  _are_ you?"

"I'm surprised no one has guessed yet, to be honest. How is it that everyone remembers Sephiroth's name, but not mine? Not that I care, but  _really_?  _Why_?"

Cloud shot Sephiroth an accusing glare.

"I can't help that I was practically worshipped as a General. Blame Shinra's advertising head."

Cloud snorted. "Yeah, right." His attention jumped back to Neron. "You know the stories. The Warrior of Light kills the One-Winged Angel?"

Neron nodded, but obviously wasn't cluing in. Sephiroth took pity on him.

"Neron, Warrior of Light. Warrior of Light, Neron."

Needless to say, Neron's jaw dropped. He made a wheezing sound.

"Yeah, yeah. It's no big deal."

"Bullshit," Sephiroth interjected. "The world would be dust by now, if you hadn't stopped me. ' _I will sail the Cosmos with this Planet as my vessel.'_ I probably would have taken out the whole universe."

"I doubt you could have moved the Planet," Cloud said lightly.

"The skies went dark. Meteor  _fell_. I had Jenova. I could have managed it."

Neron had collected his jaw, but his eyes were still bulging as Cloud and Sephiroth casually debated whether or not the silver-haired man was capable of using the Planet as transport.

 _What have I gotten myself into with these two?_ Neron wondered, then was saddened.  _Sky was never really mine, was he? Deep down, he was always this…always Cloud. Always Sephiroth's._

"How do you go from ultimate enemies to…whatever you are now?" Neron asked, interrupting their conversation, and trying not to sound too obviously jealous.

Cloud grimaced. "It's too complicated."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"We have two options," Sephiroth explained. "Talk the Emperor into stopping the enhancements and destroying every bit of information that might compromise the Planet…or kill everyone who dares oppose that idea."

Neron gulped. "But…why is it so dangerous?"

"The enhancements are basically why Meteorfall happened. Someone went batshit because an alien claiming to be his mother told him to go crazy, and that someone summoned the thing, hoping to permanently damage the Planet, so it could no longer heal, which would inevitably lead to the death of all life."

Sephiroth was looking rather put out by this explanation.

Neron threw him a line. "You were the 'someone'?"

"I spent my entire life as a science experiment. My biological mother married a crazy scientist and never told my biological father that I was his. I grew up believing that the scientist was my father. My real mother started having prophetic dreams of what I would become, so she fled and hid herself away from the world. So when the time came, the scientist told me that my mother was Jenova, the alien thing. I was a carrier of her DNA from the womb. Later in life, I actually came across Jenova. Her presence is…extremely influential. I was so angry about  _everything_ that I didn't stop to think. I began to destroy anything that got in my way. Cloud stopped me…once or twice."

"Three times."

"I still don't know how you managed it the first time."

"Luck," Cloud admitted. "And you were distracted."

"By  _Mother_ ," Sephiroth hissed and visibly shuddered.

"Stop it," Neron hissed, and both Cloud and Sephiroth regarded him questioningly.

"What?" Cloud voiced.

"You're both so...in cahoots. Why did you even bother with me, Cloud?" Neron asked, very obviously hurt.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, but Cloud answered sincerely: "I liked you...and I still do, but you must understand how long I've been around. I don't get attached to people anymore - not deeply enough to scar, if you know what I mean. But Sephiroth was unavoidable. I've been obsessed with him since I was a child."

"You used me," Neron accused.

Sephiroth could practically see the weight of guilt settling on Cloud's shoulders, and he absolutely  _would not_ stand for it. He stepped forward and in front of Cloud, who protested weakly.

Sephiroth met Neron's eyes evenly.

"Let's get something straight," he said, all ice. "This man grew up in a world that was being ripped out from under his very feet as he walked it. He was tortured, torn, and broken. His memories were tampered with. He has been used and abused, watched his loved ones die all around him. He has seen horrors that you cannot possibly imagine and somehow managed to rise above them. He has suffered the passing of one thousand years and maintained a healthy level of sanity. He saved the world when the very idea of you wasn't even a possibility."

"Without Cloud Strife, you would not exist. This city would not exist. This  _world_ would very likely not exist. So don't you  _dare_ blame him for anything... _ever_. He knew that his choice to be with you would bring you happiness, a happiness that would have lasted had it not been for my very unlikely, very unexpected appearance. By the Goddess, Neron, if you so much as give this man a passing glance of contempt, I will grip your heart as it beats within your chest with my bare hand and squeeze it until it stops."

" _Sephiroth_ ," Cloud whispered from behind him, sounding as lost and broken as an abandoned child.

"If there is anyone to blame, I am," Sephiroth finally continued. "I nearly broke this world, broke  _him_ , and I enjoyed doing so. Now it pains me to say that I ever did such things, but know this, given the opportunity, I would gladly kill you. Cloud is the entire reason that I am here. Without him, I would not hesitate to burn the world again. I don't need Jenova to guide me. I am quite capable on my own. In short, I am the monster. Cloud is the angel. Do not confuse the two, and never endeavor to break him, for I will have your head on a pike and wield it as I destroy everything that has ever mattered to you."

Neron took a few steps back, frightened by the intensity of Sephiroth's eyes, and even more horrified by the pupils which had narrowed to slits as the man made his speech.

Reassured that Neron knew his place, Sephiroth turned around to face Cloud, who looked far paler than usual.

"It's not your fault," the ex-General said firmly.

"It's not...my fault," Cloud repeated quietly.

"Never yours," Sephiroth affirmed. "Now that that's settled, can we continue?"

Cloud nodded and spoke up to Neron, hoping to drive the conversation into safer territory. "Will you help us?"

"I've already agreed to at this point," Neron said with a barely noticeable shrug. "But how?"

"I hear the princess has the Emperor's ear."

"Total Daddy's girl," Neron agreed, eyes locked worryingly onto Sephiroth.

"I want to meet her."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Emperor Reginald stared at a smirking Genesis across the dining table. Hangaku was at his side, eating peacefully. Hangaku had already spoken to her father about General Hawking's intrusion and Genesis release into her constant custody. He approved of neither, but as usual, he was hard-pressed to deny Hangaku much of anything. Still, the presence of Genesis was unnerving, especially since his daughter seemed to be so at ease in his company.

"231, eat your food," she muttered.

He went back to eating his dinner obediently, though his gaze occasionally swept over the Emperor.

"You don't look well," Reginald said flatly to the prisoner.

"Gee, I wonder why," Genesis retorted, dropping his fork to flex his wrists. "Still getting used to the absence of chains."

"Yet there's not a single scar on you."

Genesis smirked. "Naturally. I'm not like the rest of you, and I have noticed your enhanced men in the palace - mere shadows of real SOLDIERs."

The Emperor's lip twitched and Hangaku glared at Genesis. "What did I just tell you?" she growled. "Eat your damned food and stop baiting my father."

"Ah, but he's such an easy target."

"Hangaku," Reginald started, but she gave her father a look.

"He's under control," she declared confidently.

"Really? How so? He doesn't appear to be."

Genesis merely smiled.

Hangaku stiffened in her seat. "He wants to know the truth about Sephiroth and Cloud. If they're alive, he wants to be sure of it. He's waiting for proof, and he won't attempt an escape until he has it. He knows we're a prime source of information."

Reginald leaned forward in his high-back chair, putting his elbows on the table and perching his head on his hands. His eyes gleamed with genuine curiosity.

"And what would you do with such information, 231, if it proves true?"

Genesis grinned toothily. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I require an answer," the emperor said, "else you are going back in your cell."

Genesis refused to let his annoyance show. He really wasn't strong enough to make an escape now, so he folded. The information was fruitless anyway. These morons would be pissing themselves in the face of Sephiroth  _and_ Cloud and very possibly Genesis. He knew precisely whose side he was on, and it wasn't the colossally stupid emperor's.

"If Sephiroth's alive..." Genesis started and trailed off. What would he do? He couldn't exactly run up to the man and wave a sword in his face, demanding a fight. So he made it simple, and for once his words were completely honest.

"I would walk up to the man and greet him like what he is to me - an old friend. Then, if he's sane, I will happily follow him anywhere. Likely whatever Sephiroth's involved in will involve me as well."

"You were friends?" Hangaku asked.

Genesis nodded. "Best friends, until we became enemies, but not for reasons that anyone could ever guess."

"Tell us anyway," Reginald ordered.

Genesis frowned. "That wonderful formula that you're using to enhance your men is not perfect. Before long, I imagine you'll begin to understand."

"That's entirely off the subject," Hangaku accused.

Genesis shrugged. "You're wrong. It is exactly the answer that you're looking for. You've never seen a rabid SOLDIER or what they're capable of. I have  _been one_ , but Sephiroth was the  _best one_."

"When you say rabid...?" The princess wondered.

"I mean insane, and insanity in any enhanced man is dangerous."

"You're actually giving us a warning," Reginald realized.

Genesis chuckled. "Oh no, Your Royalness. I am giving you a  _threat_. I can't wait until my old friend comes knocking at your door. Can't wait to see you on the end of Masamune, or maybe I'll get to watch you sliced in half. Cloud is far more abrupt. Wouldn't wish it on Hangaku though. She's actually tolerable."

The princess snorted, but the Emperor appeared thoughtful.

"You think they stand a chance?"

"You've got it all backwards, Reggie," Genesis cooed. "You're the ones who don't stand a chance."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

"I can't believe I'm allowing this," Neron stated as Cloud and Sephiroth entered his mansion. "Cloud is one thing, but to have  _you_ here with him." He shook his head.

"Where are we staying?" Cloud asked politely.

"You know where the guest rooms are. Just pick whatever ones you want," Neron muttered. "I'm going to call Hangaku." He disappeared into the kitchen.

"You think Fenrir and Kali will be alright where they are?" Sephiroth asked Cloud as the blonde led him to a stairway.

"Yeah, we don't want them in the garage if we have to make a quick getaway, and I doubt anyone will try to take them as it takes someone enhanced to even drive them properly."

There was a set of adjoining guest rooms upstairs. Cloud showed Sephiroth where they were and then dragged him into one and locked the door behind them.

Sephiroth didn't waste any time. He grabbed Cloud by the forearms and pulled him forward, practically slamming their mouths together. The blonde didn't protest, instead focusing on slipping his tongue between Sephiroth's lips and getting two greedy handfuls of the silver-haired man's behind. Sephiroth groaned and ground their hips together desperately.

They heard the sound of footsteps approaching and tore apart, lips bruised from kissing. Cloud gave Sephiroth a pleading look and slipped through the adjoining door to the other room just as Neron called out the blonde's name. Sephiroth sighed, reached down to adjust himself in his pants, and walked back into the hall where Cloud was already speaking to Neron from the doorway to the other room. Sephiroth couldn't help but notice the appraising look that Neron was giving Cloud. He was so annoyed, in fact, that he barely noticed when Neron said to Cloud, "I'd like a word with you in private, please."

Cloud frowned, let his eyes dart to Sephiroth and back, and finally nodded. Sephiroth worriedly retreated back into his own room, and sulked.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Downstairs, Neron had Cloud in the drawing room, when he turned abruptly and kissed the blonde, dipping his thumbs into the waistband of Cloud's pants and tugging insistently. Cloud made a sound of protest and shoved the other man off of him.

Eyes glowing brightly, he hissed, "what the  _hell_ do you think you are doing?!"

Neron smiled. "Sky or not, you're still mine, and the price to keep me quiet  _and_ to summon Hangaku is this."

Cloud glowered. "Are you an idiot? I don't want you! I'd sooner let Sephiroth impale you than sleep with you again. If he knew what you just tried to do, you'd be dead already."

"You're under contract. Real name or not, you signed it knowingly. Rejection of such a thing is actually a  _crime,_ my darling."

Cloud's expression sunk into a blank slate. "I see. So this is who you really are, is it?"

"It's who I have always been. It's who you  _claimed to love_ about a thousand times in the past three years."

"I did love you," Cloud hissed, "perhaps not in the way that you wanted me to, but I did. I don't any longer, and I won't blame myself for your unhappiness. I can't do that again."

"Why?" Neron snapped. "Because  _he_ told you not to? That bullshit little speech he gave was cute, but it will never excuse your betrayal of me. I was loyal to you!"

Cloud laughed, hard and sharp. "You slept with every Black and White who gave you a second glance. You made fun of me behind my back, treated me like a pet or a toy rather than a person. I accepted it only because I didn't care enough to correct you. I am not a White or a Black. I am Cloud Strife, something that you have no idea how to deal with, and I don't belong to you."

Neron inhaled sharply and his eyes gleamed angrily. "So you belong to him?"

Cloud cringed. "First and foremost, I belong to  _myself_ and second the  _Planet_ , but if I were to tether myself to any one person, then yes. It would be Sephiroth."

Neron only glared.

"You know it's funny," Cloud said sadly. "I liked you enough to forget that you didn’t know me. You don't understand me. You never have, but you will now. I swear;  _you will know me_."

Neron faltered, his anger still present but overwhelmed mostly by confusion. "I don't understand."

Cloud stepped forward and before Neron knew what was happening, the blonde was actually  _behind_  him with one arm wrapped tightly around Neron's throat.

A hot breath against Neron's ear and he heard the words: "I knew I'd never like you again the very moment that you called him a monster. I hate to be reminded, and I think I'm done playing nice."

As Neron struggled for breath, a shadow appeared at the entrance to the room.

"So he's finally lost your sympathies," Sephiroth acknowledged with a note of approval. "I wondered when you'd snap."

"Hangaku's phone number is in his cell phone," Cloud said conversationally as Neron wiggled in his grasp, trying to pry Cloud's arm from off his throat. "We don't need him anymore."

"We may, if she is agreeable," Sephiroth said regretfully. He actually couldn't wait to be rid of Neron. "They won't like us if we butcher one of their own."

Cloud sighed and released the Black, letting him fall to the floor in a messy heap, gasping for air.

"Touch me again," Cloud told him sharply, "and I will let Sephiroth slaughter you."

"C-can't...do it  _yourself?_ " Neron coughed through the jibe.

Cloud smirked. "With me it would be too quick. I'd just slice you in half."

"It's almost too bad that Hojo isn't around anymore," Sephiroth said quietly, even as Cloud shivered visibly. "I've never met a person before now who I'd happily pass on to that madman for an experiment or two."

Cloud huffed and walked over to tug Neron's cell phone free of his pants' pocket. He found Hangaku's number, put the phone on speaker, and let it ring.

On the fourth ring, there was an answer.

"Princess Hangaku's personal line," said a playful voice and Sephiroth drew in a sharp breath.

" _Genesis?_ "

Cloud's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Neron watched and listened avidly.

"Well, well, well," said Genesis, "what a sur _prise."_

"Why are you answering?" asked Cloud.

"Is that who I think it is?" Genesis said jovially.

"Yes," Sephiroth said, walking closer to Cloud. "Gen, that's Cloud. He's with me. Why do you have Hangaku's phone?"

"My imprisonment has greatly improved over the past week or so," Genesis admitted. "For some reason, Reggie's daughter trusts me, and she thought her idiot cousin was calling, so she had  _me_ answer her phone. You should see the look she's giving me right now. Haha!"

"She trusts you? Is she stupid?" Sephiroth wondered honestly.

Cloud smirked.

"I don't  _think_ so," Genesis admitted. "Though coming from you, that's rich. Are you still mad at me for...everything?"

"I...no. I'm not."

"I see your social skills are as impressive as ever. But thank you. I really am sorry about it all."

Sephiroth smiled a little. "It's fine. I wasn't exactly a shining example of honor back then either."

There was short pause.

"Um, just out of curiosity," Genesis finally said, "is Angeal...?"

"No," Sephiroth practically whispered. "He's still in the lifestream, Gen." And now he felt really bad about ignoring the other man when he had been there.

"So I guess the question I really need to be asking here is  _why aren't you_?"

"Look around," Cloud finally interjected. "History is trying to repeat itself."

"Isn't it  _your job_ to deal with that?"

"According to the Planet, it is," Sephiroth answered, "but it's now my job to make sure that he does. What's your job, Gen? I know that you finally found her."

"Caught red-handed," Genesis admitted. "I do the Goddess' bidding when she calls upon me, and let me tell you, she's been screaming in my ears for the past decade, so I figured something must be up."

"Essentially, our problems are your problems," Cloud summarized.

"Basically."

"So you can answer some questions then?"

"If I know the answers."

"If we go to Reginald and try to explain why everything that he's doing is wrong, will he listen?"

Genesis sighed. "He won't. Just earlier I had that very conversation with him. He was not convinced."

"And Hangaku?" Cloud wanted to know.

"She's more sensible than he is, but if you go up against her father, she will stand in your way."

Cloud finally gave in. "How big is their army?"

"200 strong enhanced by now, though likely unstable."

"Doesn't make them any less dangerous," Sephiroth added. "Gen? Get out of there as soon as you are able."

"And what will you be doing in the mean time?"

"Building an army of our own."

**.End Chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

Cloud always got top bunk, but in boot camp having top bunk wasn't exactly a privilege. The shorter you were, the longer the distance to the floor - or so it seemed. It was also damn near impossible for Cloud to pass a bunk inspection, seeing as their coffin racks were both a sleeping accommodation and a storage space, and one had to be tall enough and brave enough to fight the guy with the bottom bunk about standing on his bed to put your neatly folded uniforms away. The 90 degree folds pulled tightly around the corners of the poor excuse for a mattress were also much harder to accomplish when one wasn't even tall enough to both reach  _and lift_ the mattress to put the sheets there in the first place.

Most of the time, you only got about ninety seconds to tear off the bedding and then put it back together with nary a wrinkle in sight and  _perfect_ military corners and be back on the toe line at attention with a thousand-yard stare plastered on your blood-rushed face.

Boot camp was turning out to be  _nothing_ like Cloud had imagined. At fourteen with all of SOLDIER flashing across the television and the newspapers and magazines, Cloud's expectations had not been this.

"We break you down to build you back up."

Brave, bold words from a Division Commander, a SOLDIER 2nd by the last name of Hank. The poor man had two first names: George and Hank. But Cloud didn't care to know that, seeing as his own name was a study in synonyms parallel to his life: Cloud Strife.

Cloud didn't want to admit that his mother had bad taste, but...it was totally her fault. On the first day of boot, which had actually been at night -  _Hell Night_  to be precise, seeing as that was what everyone called it - Cloud had been utterly disabused of the notion that he even deserved to have a name. He had three DCs (two 3rds and one very grumpy female 2nd) and each one of their jobs was to make his life a living hell until he proved that he earned better. The DC's pet names for each individual recruit was either "recruit" [obviously] or "ass monkey" or (a personal favorite) "shitbag" or variations there upon.

Cloud was content to blend into the background, but in boot camp, that wasn't possible. Very few had ever managed it, if anyone ever had. To be completely honest, boot camp was a total snore. You spent more time getting military history lessons or regulation training from a computer screen in a room far too warm to be considered comfortable than any badassery training. Push-ups or jumping jacks were your reward if you got caught dozing.

Cloud always thought he would hate push-ups more than anything in the world, but after his division got beat for two hours doing nothing but jumping jacks in new, stiff boots, he decided that jumping jacks were absolutely the worst fucking things in the entire universe.

Boot camp left a potential SOLDIER with a buttload of life skills: standing in one place without moving for hours, folding clothes in a precise way as to take up the smallest amount of space possible, making one's bed sheets look like they were always part of the mattress to begin with, eating a full meal in less than two minutes, walking always on the right side of the hallway on a narrow strip of blue tile barely a foot wide, and being careful as hell to avoid getting caught at doing things that you weren't supposed to. There was also quite a ridiculous amount of marching and a whole lot of running.

Cloud was pushed back three times during training, each time for not being able to pass some kind of meticulous test. Each ASMO meant an extra week in hell. 8 weeks very easily became 11 and Cloud was miserable from start to finish. The first test he failed (and eventually managed to pass) was the Physical Assessment. You did the PA three times total in boot camp, that is, if you passed on the third, which Cloud did not. The first two PAs were more like mock-ups, but the third counted, and it took Cloud two additional tries to pass it. The PA was a straightforward kind of test. You had to do a certain number of push-ups, curl-ups, and complete a 1.5 mile run in a certain time frame. Cloud had trouble with the run, what with the indoor track having to accommodate 80 people testing at once, and the biggest guys trampling everyone from the gates and when they double-lapped you half way through.

The second test that Cloud had trouble with was the firing test. It consisted of a how-to brief, a demonstration, practice, and then the final assessment with a small pistol and a quick shot with an assault rifle that didn't actually count for anything so long as you could hold the gun up long enough to pull the trigger. It was the pistol that Cloud couldn't manage. He was yelled at and the letters FFI were draw across his paper target when they booted him out of the firing range. Failure to follow instructions. Cloud had accidentally shot the trolley twice before failing that test. They wouldn't let him try again that day, so they pushed him back another week.

The third test that Cloud bombed was the swim, but he wasn't the only one. Cloud had come from Nibelheim, and in Nibelheim it snowed nearly all year, and when it wasn't snowing, it could be argued that the small mountain town was always cold. Cloud had never been in anything deeper than a bathtub, which was why when his ass was pushed off of the thirty foot platform over a pool of water, he panicked, let go of his nose in midair, and nearly drowned for it. It took him all of the following week to let go of his fear and let determination get him to the end of that pool without drowning.

Boot camp changed you - that was what everyone said. They weren't wrong. There hadn't been a lot of time for bullying during basic training from his peers, but there had been quite a few longing looks shot Cloud's way in the dead of night, when more than one of his bunk mates was pulling one off. They didn't have to say why for the message to sink in. Cloud had grown up in a town where his dainty, lithe appearance had set the locals on calling him girly and feminine and weak. Desirable was not a bad thing to be, but Cloud didn't want the attention then and especially not on behalf of his somewhat feminine attributes.

Graduation had seemed a dream, until Cloud actually stepped into the school building a few blocks down from the Shrina headquarters. It was a lot like boot camp with a few glaring exceptions: free time was actually a thing and no one held back on calling Cloud out as a freaky little nobody. Otherwise, everything was basically the same. So instead of things getting better, they actually got a bit worse.

Near the end of Cloud's schooling, he had tried to take the SOLDIER exam and bombed it so spectacularly that the judges had  _laughed at him_  as he took the walk of shame back to his barracks. He fell into a great depression when graduation saw him assigned to the infantry. Canon-fodder, they were - the first to die in the war (on the front lines, even) and the last to be remembered.

Even after Cloud met Zack and stood a boring-as-hell assignment just outside of Kalm, he was aware of the few skills that he did have in his favor, and he only recalled them because he was suddenly very determined to go do something else with his life. SOLDIER had been a pipe dream, one that Cloud suddenly understood wasn't really for him. As he figuratively looked up the chain of command, he could only see an ascension through the ranks as making him even more miserable than he already was. He had made a lot of promises in Nibelheim, sure, but he didn't have to go back if he didn't want to. So it came to be that Cloud was trying to figure out what else he could do with his life, and in reflection, he was really only good at two things; he had a mind for strategy and, under the right circumstances, was a mean shot with any long-barreled gun.

In retrospect, the infantry was probably exactly where he belonged, if he had only let himself accept it. Cloud was stubborn, though, and he convinced himself that he hated everything about his job.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth's boot camp experience was very obviously different from Cloud's. He was pre-picked as the division leader for the recruits, and his peers all hated him on principle. He had no trouble with any of the tasks set before him, and picked up on everything far more quickly than the other recruits.

But he was Sephiroth, and he had spent all of his life living with Hojo as a father-figure: a man who demanded perfection above all else. The tests in boot camp were almost laughable compared to the horrors that Hojo had forced on a young Sephiroth. He excelled in every aspect. However, it could be said that when graduation rolled around, Sephiroth was perhaps the only recruit in the line-up who hadn't made a single friend. As he wielded the ceremonial cutlass on graduation day, he felt no triumph. As he watched the others rush off after the affair to greet their family and friends with wide grins and open arms and happy tears, he felt empty inside. The same could be said for every ceremony he would ever be put through at Shinra's mercy.

Even with Genesis and Angeal eventually at his side, he knew their own closeness overpowered any affection that they might have had for him. In the end his hopes for love grew futile, when he watched his few friends abandon him for love of each other, and more so later, when he gave his heart to Jenova simply to stave off the bitter loneliness.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

As Sephiroth stood face-to-face with the man who was at least partially responsible for his own existence, the ex-General only felt guilt.

It had taken Cloud a week to track down the harbinger of Chaos, and once he had, Sephiroth had been antsy about meeting him again. His memories of the gunman were vague, but now as he faced Vincent himself, Sephiroth cursed his own stupidity.

They looked alike for Gaia's sake! They even  _acted_ alike.

Vincent was thinner than Sephiroth, but only just. They both had sharp, angular features and a serious, withdrawn demeanor. They were both vastly intelligent and cunning and quick. Deep voices, sharp eyes, and pale skin.

How had he missed it?

"I don't blame you," were Sephiroth's first words to his father.

"Nor I you," Vincent replied.

That seemed to be enough for both of them.

"Well, aren't you chatty," Cloud said with a smirk.

Later, as they sat around a dinner table at a nearby Inn and Vincent slipped away for a moment, Sephiroth couldn't resist asking: "Have you and he ever...?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Seph, he's your  _Dad_."

Sephiroth blinked. "Are you avoiding the question?"

"It's come up a time or two, but we decided not to," Cloud admitted, shifting uncomfortably.

Sephiroth threw a possessive arm around his shoulders and when Vincent returned, forced the subject into the open.

" _Father,_ Cloud is my significant other until further notice."

Cloud balked.

Vincent frowned, eyes darting between a red-faced Cloud and his glaring son. "Understood."

Sephiroth nodded, but didn't remove his arm.

Cloud made an annoyed sound. "Great. Two morons without tact. This should be a delight."

"Forgive Cloud," Sephiroth explained. "He presented himself as a submissive for the past few years."

Vincent looked vaguely horrified.

Cloud pouted.

Sephiroth smirked.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Hangaku only vaguely remembered her mother. Like her father, the princess had absolutely adored the woman. It was said that the woman's abrupt and unexplained departure was initially what had made a young Hangaku go cold. Not only sweet, the Lady of Perna was also extremely intelligent. She worked along Reginald's head scientist in the search for things lost to legend. What worried Hangaku was not her mother's sweetness or intelligence or even her disappearance (much). Presently, her concern was for the stories her mother once told – stories of a man cursed with monsters, of a silver-haired boy cursed with the powers of an ancient creature, and of a scientist with a passion for power. As the hunt for Sephiroth and Cloud continued into the following weeks, she recalled her conversation with 231 and  _wondered._

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

There lay a series of buildings alongside the Emperor's palace. The buildings were militant, plain, and well-guarded. The largest and centermost had twice the security of the others. It was a one-story facility with a power grid of its own. The layout itself was very simple with an antechamber at each entrance and a large, wide expanse of empty space between the two. That large, middle room contained a twisted wreck of outdated machinery that beeped and glowed and whirred along with only the faintest quirks and ticks. The machinery itself was connected to a humanoid figure floating in a translucent green liquid and before that figure stood a woman with dark hair and serious green eyes, taking notes against the clipboard in her hands and smiling like she hadn't a care in the world.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

"How do you start an uprising against a popular imperial leader?" was the question Cloud had asked nearly two weeks ago.

Sephiroth had answered this question without missing a beat: "By pitting him up against someone who is  _more_ popular."

The silver-haired man then proceeded to give Cloud a very meaningful look. Immediately, the blond groaned and bowed his head.

"No."

"It's logical."

"I'm not a people person, Seph."

"Yet everyone seems to like you," Sephiroth grumbled unhappily.

"And then there's  _you_ ," Cloud defended. "You weren't exactly painted as a Saint back then. How do I explain you?"

"Easy – you  _don't_. No one's going to ask who I am."

"Sephiroth, our enemies already  _know_ who you are. They'd just use that against us."

"Fine. Tell them the truth."

Cloud raised a brow. "That I killed you more times than I can count and you just kept coming back? That I decided to let you live because I like you? That you're still sort of a dick but I'm letting that slide?"

The Ex-General sighed. "That the Planet sent me back to help you stop another war."

Cloud snorted. "Yeah, cuz they are  _so_ going to believe that."

"You're looking at this the wrong way," Vincent, sitting quietly (and a bit awkwardly) nearby, chimed in. "People are easy to win over. Shinra did it. Make yourself a hero in the eyes of the public. Use the image, not the reputation."

"I'm not getting it," Cloud mumbled.

The Ex-Turk gave him a pointed look. "Show off. It's as easy as that."

"That's…" Sephiroth gave his father an impressed look. "… _political._  It's a good idea."

"The sword tournaments," Cloud said unhappily. "Some of Neron's friends were obsessed."

Sephiroth tensed at the mention of Neron's name, but added, "We could either enter the old fashion way or just show up."

"It's dangerous," Cloud said with annoyance. "They have a  _glass ceiling._ "

Sephiroth looked far too amused. "Really?"

The red-eyed man frowned. "So it wasn't just Jenova. You really are sadistic." He was addressing Sephiroth.

"Runs in the family," Cloud rebutted "You were a  _Turk_ , Vincent."

The harbinger of Chaos smirked. "I imagine that you're only defending him because he's yours now."

Cloud rolled his eyes. " _Please_. I never hesitate to call him out on his bullshit."

Sephiroth was grinning now. " _Yours_ ," he said softly. "I really like the sound of that."

Cloud's blush was hidden only by the light of their camp fire.

"I think this is better for the both of you. Enemies be damned," Vincent said quietly. "It's good to see you happy."

"You are a  _much_ better father than Hojo, Vincent," Cloud said gratefully. "Much more believable, too."

After a long, thoughtful pause, Sephiroth asked hesitantly, "Would you tell me about my mother? My real mother…"

Vincent stared directly into the flames. "Lucrecia Crescent was a scientist. She worked with Hojo. She was kind, but…she was very invested in her work. She let Hojo convince her to give her child up for the sake of science. I tried to get in the middle of that and Hojo retaliated. The result was what I am now – a conglomeration of monsters in one body. In the end, Lucrecia started having prophetic dreams of…of what you would do as an adult. She wanted to commit suicide, but it was impossible. The Jenova cells made her difficult to kill, so she trapped herself in mako crystal."

"Is she still there?"

"I'm not sure. I visited the cave recently, but the crystal has completely filled it."

Sephiroth sighed and Cloud patted his arm awkwardly.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

"It's championship day," Cloud said over the roar of the crowd. He and Sephiroth were tucked into a corner of the stadium in full battle attire. While First Tsurugi was arranged neatly on Cloud's back, Masamune was nowhere to be seen.

"I may or may not be able to sort of…make it disappear and reappear at will," Sephiroth had admitted earlier, when Masamune had simply vanished into thin air before Cloud's very eyes.

"Your alien powers never fail to astound me," Cloud had replied. "Besides the part where you threw buildings at me, you also summoned a bunch of monsters from the sky that third time that I had to kill you."

Sephiroth and Cloud were lip-locked just as the announcer declared the winner of the year's tournament. Cloud started to pull away, but Sephiroth just wasn't having it. When Cloud finally broke their kiss, the crowd was already leaving the stands.

"What?" Sephiroth protested when the blond gave him an accusing glare. "We never get any time to ourselves. I have to take my chances when I can get them."

After a long moment, Cloud finally quirked a smile. "Alright, but you better make it up to me out there. Summon Masamune already."

Cloud didn't hesitate then. He rushed past Sephiroth and into the arena.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Elda always took her time leaving the arena. She wasn't a big fan of fighting the crowds or the traffic, so she waited with her Black patiently as he chatted up their old friend Neron. Elda wasn't particularly fond of Neron, and while Cloud had been delightful, Neron had a nasty streak that she didn't approve of. She also knew of the man's shaky loyalty to the blond.

Either way, when she saw a dark figure dart out into the arena with striking blond hair and a massive sword, she was as shocked as Neron himself. What shocked her more, however, was the silver-haired man that followed. She remembered Seth, approved of him even, but as the man pulled a ridiculously long sword from thin air, she gasped a little. When he thrust the blade at Cloud with seemingly the intent to kill, she gripped the handles of her chair tightly.

But when Cloud fought back with all the grace, strength, and speed of a  _God,_ her jaw hit the floor. And as the crowds eagerly refilled their abandoned seats, she watched her friend fight in the arena and felt a chill crawl up her spine. The two men were not merely fighting; they practically  _flew_ from one side of the arena and back, using the walls as leverage, and crossing blades with enough force to make the air scream.

Elda watched her friend, and awed as she was, felt  _fear_.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

"Watch the glass," Cloud hissed, darting past Sephiroth and switching Tsurugi from one piece to two.

"Trying to," Sephiroth said back, readjusting his momentum to flip off of the adjacent wall and slashing at Cloud as the blond came in for another strike. The backlash from their blades sent the glass ceiling cracking across the center. Cloud meekly slapped his sword pieces back into one.

"Freeze the glass," Sephiroth suggested around parries.

"Or you could just hold back," Cloud growled, rushing at Sephiroth from a new angle and pinning him against the closest wall.

" _Oh_ ," Sephiroth grunted and then grinned. "I suppose I shouldn't like this as much as I do."

"Now is not the time," the blond said, but flushed nonetheless.

"Think this was enough to get their attention?" Sephiroth said, putting his free arm over Cloud's shoulder. "The seats are full again."

Cloud nudged Sephiroth's arm off of his person. "Not  _that_ kind of attention, Seph."

" _Oy!"_ Someone yelled, coming onto the field. Cloud and Sephiroth both turned to look, still obscenely pressed up against each other. It was Neron, and as usual, he looked furious. "What are you two idiots doing?"

"Not you," Sephiroth purred.

Cloud frowned and released the silver-haired man. "We're not just here to use the arena," he said tonelessly.

Sephiroth took a step towards Neron with a gleam in his eye. He gave his nodachi a threatening swipe. "We're advertising," he said with a cat-like smirk. "You can't fight an army with only two men, enhanced or otherwise."

Cloud saw the announcer creeping closer with a microphone.

"Perfect," Sephiroth said and waved the man over. "Mind if I borrow that?" He snatched the microphone from the announcer's hand. "Cloud?"

"Have at it," Cloud said with a dismissive wave. "I hate that kind of stuff."

Sephiroth took a breath and began his speech.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Elda and her Black sat with the crowd, barely able to believe her ears as Seth's dulcet tones filled the stadium.

"Good afternoon, people of Perna. My name is Seth Valentine. Fighting me just now was a man named Cloud. This was a demonstration. We are part of an elite group called Avalanche, and we are recruiting."

"Our goal is to usurp the current Emperor. Though we have warned him, he denies all knowledge of the damage he and his followers are doing to the Planet. By dredging information up from Ancient Midgar, he has disturbed the spirit of the Lifestream, and only we have noticed. Join our cause, if you wish to the see the light of the following year."

"You may find us in Narga, whose mayor died yesterday at my own hand. As for the Emperor, who I am sure will hear this, heed my words: if you send your Soldiers to Narga, we will return them to you in pieces.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Hangaku frowned as her father watched the speech for the third time in a row. His expression never faltered but she knew he was angry.

"Sending soldiers to Narga would be foolish now," General Hawking said from the Emperor's left. Hangaku sat on her father's right. Prisoner 231,  _Genesis_ , was waiting in a side room where she knew he would likely overhear everything that was said.

"This was an insult as well as a taunt," said Commander Geon. "They know that we've been hunting them."

"They're smart," Neron said from further down the line. His opinion was both mocked and highly regarded for the contact he had with Cloud. "S… _Cloud_  in particular is very clever. I don't know Sephiroth well enough to assume that he is as strategically minded, but considering his history…I would not underestimate his intelligence."

_Whose side are you on, cousin?_ Hangaku wondered unhappily. Her dark eyes darted to the closed door where her prisoner eavesdropped carelessly.  _And whose side am I on?_

Emperor Reginald gestured for silence and spoke: "At the very least, this was an enlightening demonstration of their abilities."

From outside of the briefing room, Hangaku thought she could hear laughter. She scowled as her father's eyes fell on herself, thinking that Genesis would pay for disgracing her.

"I can do nothing to control his senses, Father."

Reginald frowned and addressed the two guards at the door, "Bring him in."

The guards didn't have to elicit much effort to get the prisoner inside. He strode in like he had every right to be there, and Hangaku had to bite her tongue to keep from snarling at him.

Genesis leered at her father, glowing eyes locked with the Emperor's.

"Why do you laugh?" Reginald said tonelessly.

"You know nothing of the strength of SOLDIERs," Genesis said softly and without amusement. "You are a fool to think that you know their limits so quickly."

"We captured you. Were you not one of their lot?"

The prisoner remained silent.

Reginald folded. "What do you want?"

"Information of this sort is hard to come by," the auburn-haired man almost whispered. "I'd like my rapier back."

"Information first."

Genesis tilted his head to one side and smirked. "You better follow through, Reggie. You caught me by surprise in those mountains. You will not have the opportunity to do so again." The SOLDIER stepped forward and slid into an empty chair. "I'm not so stupid as to give you general information. What do you want to know?"

"Could  _your friends_ face a small army of my enhanced men and win?"

Genesis raised his chin. "Without doubt."

"How many men would it take to defeat them?"

"I've seen your 'men' at their best, sparring in the courtyard. Cloud and Sephiroth have the advantage of secrets and power that even I do not know or possess. They're also both very experienced fighters. They know how to use their resources, but…" Genesis trailed off and his eyes became distant. "Once there was a SOLDIER, just as strong as they, who faced an army 200 strong with heavy artillery. The man fell in the end, but very little of the army remained."

"You knew this man?"

"We all did."

The Emperor nodded and turned to General Hawking. "Take  _Fire-fall_  and  _Diamond Hunter_  to Narga. I want them dead, Hawking."

The General nodded, but several Commanders at the table protested. "That's two of our largest and strongest regiments!"

"To negate a problem like this, I find it necessary."

"It's overkill!" declared a Lieutenant from further down the table. "A waste of resources."

"Better to send enough men than not enough," the Emperor said simply.

"Why not send  _Ice Breaker_?" Hangaku dared ask. "My regiment is 500 strong, and I am not afraid to face these two strange men."

"Nonsense, child. I need you here to defend the city. In times of war, it is best to keep your assets closest. Not to mention, you are my heir. You should not always tarry on the front lines. Understood?"

Chastised, she nodded. "Yes, Father."

The Emperor stood, and everyone rose respectfully, save for the auburn-haired man at the far end of the table.

"Bring the Prisoner his rapier, Commander Geon." The Emperor's eyes were cold as he added, "Hangaku should see that he's collared. I won't have him running off to join our enemies."

The room as a whole bowed. Genesis contrarily glowered at the Emperor's back as the man retreated from the room. Hangaku moved around the others as they departed, aiming for her eccentric prisoner.

"Were you lying?" she asked quietly.

He only smiled. "I am honorable in some ways, my dear Princess. Shall we wait here for my sword to arrive?"

"No," she muttered, pulling him to his feet. "We go to the forges. You must be collared." Her eyes were full of pity. "For that, I am sorry."

He didn't look remotely disturbed by the notion of further confinement.

"I'd expect you to run from such a thing," she tacked on after noting his easy acceptance.

"Let your father believe what he will, but there is a Goddess at my back, and friends not too far away. I have no intention of leaving you alone, though my reasons remain my own."

She scowled. "So you enjoy humiliating me in front of my father?"

His grin was menacing. "No, but I do enjoy manipulating that which is most precious to him."

"I could throw you back in a cell," the Princess warned.

"You won't," he accused. "You're far too fond of me for that."

The princess made a disgusted sound and stomped away. Genesis smiled contently and followed.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

"Collared?" Sephiroth said on the phone. "Like an animal?"

"It's kinky," Genesis replied. "And surprisingly fashionable. They use the collars to keep their soldiers in check. It's a tracking device and a shocker, if you know what I'm saying."

"You can get out of it?"

"Easily. Tight as it is, metal is more pliant than I am nowadays."

"Your Goddess smiles upon you," Sephiroth said with amusement. "I'm assuming you have some material stashed away somewhere."

"They returned my rapier. I've got a few things to work with – a mastered Fire for one."

"Good to know. What snippet of gossip did you trade for the return of that sword?"

"I didn't sell you out exactly."

"I'd be offended if I didn't know you better," Sephiroth said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "So what did you tell them?"

"What they asked. They wanted to know how many of their enhanced idiots it would take to kill the two of you."

"Gods, what number did you set against us, Gen?"

"Only about 500 or so."

Sephiroth glared at the phone. "You  _ass_."

"Don't fret. Their leader isn't particularly bright am I certain at this point that you're building up a cute little fighting force of your own, though Avalanche through me for a loop. Was that your little blonde’s idea?"

The ex-General ignored them. "What name should I be worried about? Who's leading this army that you've egged them into sending against us?"

"Hawking. General Hawking."

"And the princess?"

"Holding down the fort."

"How sentimental of Reginald. Have you considered using her as leverage?"

"She's a darling. I would dare. I'm hoping to win her over."

Sephiroth actually snorted. "What with LOVELESS and a box of chocolate."

"She's clever, Seph, like you. You'd like her."

"I have enough people to like."

"You mean Cloud?" Genesis teased. "You're ass over tits for that kid, aren't you?"

Sephiroth made a sound of agreement just as Cloud walked into the overlarge kitchen.

"Who's that?" the blonde asked.

"Genesis."

"What does he want?"

"Reginald is sending an army of 500 men to Narga."

Cloud paled. "When?"

"When?" Sephiroth said into the receiver.

"Within the next few days, I'd imagine."

"Why?" Cloud growled.

"Don't blame me," Sephiroth pouted. "Genesis is mostly to blame."

Cloud snatched the phone from Sephiroth's hand and growled into it: "Do you think this is some kind of joke?"

"Not so much," Genesis said calmly in return. "They were planning an attack anyway. They just weren't sure how many to send."

"So you told them?" Cloud asked furiously. "There are civilians here, Genesis! Innocent people! What's going to happen to them?"

"Well, I'd assume they'd get the hell outta the way when the fighting starts."

"Listen here you  _piece_ of  _shit,"_ Cloud started, "this isn't a game. This isn't  _Shinra_. You don't make a move without us agreeing to it first."

" _I am on no side but my own, Strife,_ " Genesis' temper finally made itself known as his voice took on a much more threatening edge, but Cloud was unfazed.

"Regardless, why compromise your allies?"

"To get back my sword."

"That's a stupid fucking reason!" Cloud yelled. "You're far more capable than you've shown them. You don't need to trade valuable information to further your own means."

"You're testing my patience, runt. Dare you defy Minerva's chosen? The Goddess chose me for a reason. My actions are sound."

"Minerva choosing you does not justify your every action, you bastard. Do you think I've forgotten that you left Sephiroth high and dry all those years ago? He may have some semblance of trust for you now, but I do  _not_. I had to kill him multiple times, and I can honestly lie some of the blame at your feet. You may be Minerva's bitch, but I'm the Planet's. Take a moment to register whose word has more hold."

Cloud hung up the phone and slammed it on the counter. Sephiroth watched with raised brows as Cloud tried to get a grip on his temper.

"That was pointless," the silver-haired man eventually stated.

Cloud frowned at him from across the kitchen. The mayor's mansion in Narga was currently their home. It house nearly thirty men and women who had come to join their cause.

"He's being stupid. Now we'll have to tear down an army, Seph. You may not care, but I don't enjoy aimless killing."

Sephiroth moved around the counter, towards Cloud. When they stood nearly chest-to-chest, he gently ran his bare fingertips along the blonde's forearms.

"Genesis is smarter than he lets people think. Don't let his nonchalance fool you. Whatever he's doing will be beneficial to us in the end."

"I still don't trust him," Cloud growled, leaning his forehead against Sephiroth's shoulder. "I don't trust half of what we're doing either. It all feels so messy."

"Messy sometimes works best," Sephiroth soothed. "Zack would have approved."

That tore a chuckle from Cloud's throat.

Rhea ducked into the room, a friendly smile upon her face. "Hey, lovebirds. Your fans are waiting in the dining hall."

Sephiroth sighed. "We'll be there in a minute."

"We've got a few vets," Cloud said after a long moment. "But all of the others are so  _young_."

"You were young," Sephiroth countered, "and so was I, in a way."

"What do you think we should tell them?"

Sephiroth smiled. "The truth."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The men and women crowded around the dining table were a diverse lot, and they chatted amiably until Sephiroth and Cloud stepped into the room. Then, a pregnant silence fell, full of expectation.

"My sister just called," one of the men finally said, breaking the moment. "The Emperor is sending two regiments here."

"I know," Cloud said with a nod. "We just received word as well."

"500 soldiers…they'll slaughter us!"

"Stop panicking," Sephiroth sneered and Cloud nudged him with an elbow.

"I won't lie to you. 500 certainly is a large number of men for us to face, but…it won't be a problem. You'll fight from the sidelines, Sephiroth, Vincent, and I will handle the rest."

"How could you possible  _handle the rest_?" Someone asked.

Cloud sighed. "You've seen us fight. That was a playful spar, nothing more, barely a demonstration of power. We have far more to bring to the battle."

"But three against five hundred is suicide!"

Sephiroth glared at them all. "Why are you here – all of you? Because you've witnessed what the Emperor's actions are doing to the Planet already? He's barely tapped into the potential of its power."

"How do you know? That's the one thing you haven't told us. How do you know so much, and how are you so much stronger than Reginald's soldiers?"

Sephiroth exchanged glances with Cloud, as Vincent spoke up from a dark corner of the room, scaring a few people out of their wits.

"The truth," he suggested.

They looked to Cloud for confirmation. Finally, the blonde nodded.

"Okay."

"My name isn't Seth," Sephiroth started, "It's  _Sephiroth_."

Approximately three people gasped in shock, the rest were still lost to confusion.

"What?" said one woman.

"I guess your name isn't common knowledge," Cloud said with a smirk. "Oddly enough."

"You  _can't_ be!" said one of the men who actually recognized the name. "That's impossible. The One-Winged Angel is a myth! A bedtime story for children!"

"If you're going to take  _that_  out," Cloud said, shooting Sephiroth a look, "then take your damn coat off. You've gone through like three shirts alone this week. I will not be responsible for the replacement of that coat, Seph."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and started to strip, much to the dismay of the already excited crowd. Mutterings of the legend were already flying around the room.

"Wasn't he the bad guy?" someone asked worriedly.

Cloud nodded. "He  _was,_ but that's changed."

"Ready," Sephiroth said shortly.

Across the room, Rhea shot him a warning look. "Try not to break any furniture with that thing," she uttered.

Sheepishly, the silver-haired man spun in place, making sure he had the proper space to work with.

"Have at it, Sephiroth," Vincent said impatiently.

The ex-General shrugged and released his single black wing. Blood spattered across the adjacent wall and dribbled down his back.

Rhea gasped and dashed across the room, using her shirt to scrub the drops of blood from the wall. "That will  _stain_ ," she growled over the shocked silence.

"Sorry, Rhea."

"Oh my fucking  _shit_ ," a man howled. "That's a  _wing_!"

A few people leapt to their feet, looking terrified.

"Sit down, you superstitious idiots," Rhea said hotly, t-shirt now mottled with blood stains. "If Sephiroth here was going to hurt any of you, he'd have done it already. Cloud, will you put their minds at ease before I lose mine?"

Cloud frowned. "Sephiroth is the Angel," he explained to the group, keeping his voice level. "I was his opposition."

"The  _Guardian?_ The  _Savior_?" whispers tore throughout the room, awe gleaming from the eyes of every occupant.

"All of this is pointless in the face of our cause," Cloud snapped authoritatively. "You will protect the townspeople at this battle while we fight Reginald's men. Hopefully, your confidence in our abilities has been restored."

Several eyes turned to Vincent. "So what can  _he_  do?"

"It's a surprise," the ex-Turk said smoothly.

Sephiroth smirked in approval while Cloud shook his head. "I swear the two of you are more alike with every passing hour."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Mountains rose far behind the small town of Narga. Undoubtedly, the mayor's mansion was its finest feature. Nearly a castle, the mansion's many levels rose far above the other modest buildings in its holding.

"It doesn't feel like marching into battle," Neron said to a fellow Black, "more like marching for a slaughter."

"You think our odds are so great?" asked Ketcher.

"They can't have more than fifty men, and only two are truly dangerous." Neron looked forlorn. "My Sky, such a fool to follow that monster away from Perna."

"You're biased," Ketcher teased. "Could you kill your White, given the chance?"

Neron was frowning. His gripped the hilt of his sword with white knuckles. "I…don't know."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

It was the end of the week when General Hawking's two regiments finally marched in view of Narga. Cloud and Sephiroth were informed immediately, and their men quickly poised to keep the town safe, while their three trump cards took up their weapons and starting the hike towards the woods that the soldiers emerged from.

"You think they'll target civilians?" Vincent wondered aloud.

Cloud grimaced. "So long as it suits the Emperor's intent to destroy us, I'd say yes. We need to keep them away from the town." The blonde shot a glance at Sephiroth. "A summon each, do you think?"

The silver-haired man nodded as he walked, black leather cloak flaring in the breeze behind him. "Bahamut, Shiva, and Ifrit. It will certainly even the odds."

"They're charging," Vincent said sharply.

"Weapons only, use as little magic as possible, and no flying," Cloud spouted off orders. "We need to keep them in the dark about some things."

"We've discussed this already," Sephiroth complained. "You need not order  _us,_ Cloud."

"Sorry," the blonde said, looking a bit embarrassed. He brandished First Tsurugi. "Old habits and all."

Vincent drew Cerberus and disappeared in a whirl of red. Sephiroth took off at a run and Cloud matched him. They charged at the army as a small unit, and distantly, the enemy laughed at their numbers.

Several died that way – amusement stretching their faces into manic, painful grins as death took over.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Neron was worried.

Neron was pissed.

Neron was impatient. At first.

The three idiots – Cloud, Sephiroth, and some freak in red – had charged the army without fear, and Neron thought that there'd be so many men surrounding them that he'd never get the chance to step up himself.

He was wrong.

The air screamed with the singing of swords and explosions of gunfire, but nothing rang more clearly than the hiss of Sephiroth's absurdly long blade, as it cut five men in two  _at once,_ ten more falling from the sheer impact of the weapon.

Several feet from him, Cloud's blonde hair was clearly visible, as he spun and tossed his sword like a boomerang, taking out everyone on the inner edge of the army pressing in, until Cloud caught the whirl of silver with one hand. He then continued taking out his opponents with air of ease.

Their third companion was tricky, too, often disappearing in a wash of red, his red cloak a thing of nightmares – as living as the gunman himself. If wasn't the golden claw swiping and taking down his opponents, his triple-barreled pistol would shoot gaping holes through the bodies of the enemy.

The three stayed with their backs to each other: a strategic triangle of destruction. They were devastating the army far more quickly than anyone could have ever imagined. Soldiers on the outskirts of the battle were already disappearing fearfully into the tree-line, ready to desert rather than face these monsters. Neron was not unaffected. He bared his black rapier in one hand, moving in as the ranks thinned out, stepping over bodies flung wide from the trio's deadly blows. There were still too many men, though.

"Not even three monstrous men can beat this army," Neron said under his breath.

But then his White's voice cut through the air, clear as ever.  _"Now!"_ Multi-colored lights gleamed from the three powerful men. The lights twisted and shot up into the air. Everyone stopped to watch as the worst happened. They looked on as three monsters descended from the clouds, awash in that spectrum of light. One was a pale-blue woman, easily three times as tall as any man. The next was a horned beast that stood on two legs. The final a dragon-like creature that roared with all the fury of Hell.

All at once, fire tore a rank down to ash, deadly ice laced the skin of a second rank, and a heady blast knocked down at least three more. The new monsters joined the battle with a fury, but the original trio never stopped fighting. Neron got the feeling that they weren't even trying very hard. He quickly changed his perspective on the entire situation. With all the heavy-handed hints and misplaced conversations, he hadn't realized it before, but now he did.

It occurred to him that he might really be on the losing side. Numbers were not in Reginald's favor anymore, and the Planet wasn't either. He was seriously contemplating making a run for it, when he noticed that the army's numbers were finally taking their toll. With the screams of dying men all around, Neron dodged a bit of Shiva's ice as he watched Cloud slowly but surely growing further and further from his two companions. A sliver of fear trickled down Neron's spine as none other than General Hawking himself started closing in on an unsuspecting Cloud – too busy fighting off the canon fodder to care. The General had an ace up his sleeve, Neron knew, a tricky poison lacing the sword in his hands. It was a gift from Reginald's head scientist.

Neron was not in time to stop the poisoned sword from sliding between Cloud's ribs, but he did show up just in time to catch the blonde as he fell to the ground and screamed in agony.

_What was in that poison?_ Neron wondered vaguely, worry for Cloud overtaking him as the blonde's body seized and contracted. Whatever it was, it worked  _fast_.

"It won't kill him," Hawking said triumphantly as Cloud shuddered in Neron's arms, and the men nearby turned their attention to the monsters and the remaining two men. "The Emperor thought he'd make a good prisoner though. A good test subject."

Neron couldn't agree, but he was equally happy that Cloud was not dead. He lifted the blonde in a bridal carry, and started to say something to the General, but he was cut off.

For across the battlefield, the One-Winged Angel realized what had happened to his precious friend, and he roared.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The sound that emerged from Sephiroth as he spotted Cloud across the battlefield was like  _nothing_ Vincent had ever heard. It was not a human sound. It was not like the ungodly shriek of a Bahumut, the rumbling roar of a Nibel dragon, or even the howl of any WEAPON he'd ever faced.

The sound was guttural and sharp. It made his ears bleed and his soul shudder. The sound made even Chaos tremble in fright.

Sephiroth would not be holding back any longer. Vincent did his best to get out of his son's warpath as the man's wing sprung into existence. Masamune, lazily slicing through the hoard before, now moved faster than even Vincent could see. Thirty men went down in one swing, bodies sliced so neatly in two that there was no blood spilled until they hit the dirt. The quick wind that ruffled Vincent's hair was Sephiroth. The silver blur that gave off an inhuman roar before stopping stock-still before the man who had stabbed Cloud was Jenova's son entirely.

Vincent wasn't even going to attempt to stop him. Shiva had fallen with Cloud, while Bahumut still raged on in the distance. Vincent didn't hesitate to call Ifrit back into its materia, and swept past the remaining soldiers towards the woods. Their shocked expressions had him pausing at the edge, looking back to the closest ones and giving a warning.

"Sephiroth is very, very angry. When he's done with your General, he will slaughter the rest. I will not stand between my son and what is most precious to him, but I will give you fair warning.  _Run_."

With that, Vincent disappeared into the foliage and started making his way back to the town. He'd learn Cloud's fate later, when his own flesh and blood was less inclined to murder.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Neron had an unconscious Cloud in the seat next to him. The blonde was lucid, muttering something about numbers and reciting names that Neron had never heard before in his life. The Black himself was trembling. There were two Lieutenants in the backseat of his truck, but all were silent.

_Sephiroth faced General Hawking with a look of utter loathing. Neron had never seen anything like it. He counted himself fortunate to be so far away and so well hidden by two very capable soldiers._

" _You have to get him back to Perna," Ketcher stated._

" _Not yet, as soon as that monster goes east," the other hissed. "I can't believe we're losing."_

" _Shut up," Neron snapped, eyes still locked on the huge black wing jutting from Sephiroth's back as the silver-haired man approached their general._

_Hawking stumbled backwards, fear etched onto his every feature. Sephiroth reached out with the tip of his nodachi and slowly pushed the blade into the man's stomach._

" _If Cloud is dead," hissed the monster, "I will tear you from the Lifestream and torture you for the rest of eternity, but for now…" he twisted the sword in the man's gut and slowly drug it sideways, spilling his guts onto the ground. Hawking fell forward on his knees, barely alive, and Sephiroth used his bloodied blade to lift the man's chin._

" _I want your heart," said the One-Winged Angel with a twisted smirk. There was a flash of light, and Neron watched in horror and awe as Hawking's stomach wound healed itself._

" _Only the outside," hissed Sephiroth, walking around the fallen man in a neat, teasing circle._

_Neron's throat was dry. He started backing away from the scene as Sephiroth's blade started to vanish into thin air. The One-Winged Angel removed his left glove and stopped again before Hawking._

" _Get up."_

_Hawking stood and stumbled, trying to run, but Sephiroth caught him at it. Their eyes met, and Hawking made a disgusting, pleading sound as he caught sight of the monster's slit pupils._

_Sephiroth was smirking as he reached forward, intentions clear as his long-fingered hands grew claws over Hawking's chest._

_Neron didn't stay to watch the rest._

" _Time to go," he insisted, grasping Cloud more firmly as he started to run. He prayed to any God that would listen that he'd at least make it to the trucks hidden on the other side of the stream._

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

When Sephiroth returned to the town, he was a horrifying sight. The townspeople and their limited allies backed away in fear as the One-Winged Angel walked silently to the mayor's mansion. Vincent and Rhea waited on the porch for him.

"You've finally returned," Vincent said, voice heavy with anger.

Sephiroth was covered from head-to-toe in blood. None of it was his own. His left glove was missing, and his fingernails extended into sharp claws. The skin of his left arm was blood red from fingertip to elbow. His eyes looked wild, both furious and anxious, pupils slit so thinly that they may as well have not even been there.

"He wasn't there," Sephiroth whispered, sounding truly afraid. "They…took Cloud."

"And you were too busy killing them off to care," Vincent growled. He hadn't seen that General's death, and he didn't need to. Sephiroth's guilt spoke for itself as the man raised his hands and stared at his palms in fear. He then balled his hands into fists and laughed quietly.

"Still a monster," were his words, raspy and so very, very  _sad_  and hateful. The hate was all for himself.

Vincent stepped forward and shocked them both by drawing his son into an awkward hug.

"You're not a monster, and that's the truth of it. You reacted like any man would; you just have more power to execute your wishes when the rage and fear takes over."

"I let them get away," Sephiroth whispered into his father's shoulder. "If Cloud dies, I…"

The man shuddered, and Vincent knew what he meant.

"Best not to think on it until the time is upon us."

"I will not stop, if he's dead," Sephiroth whispered. "Cloud would hate me for it, but I wouldn't. It's why the Planet never fully trusted me. I am human, but I'm still  _hers_ , and without Cloud, I don't  _care_ to be human anyway." He pulled away from his father and stared the ex-Turk in the eyes. "You must kill me if Cloud is dead."

Vincent said nothing.

Rhea, nearby, was lost. "What are you talking about?"

Sephiroth ignored her. "Chaos  _might_ be able to do it."

"And if he can't?" was Vincent's quiet reply.

Sephiroth slowly closed his eyes, and when they opened again, they were focused and glowing brighter than ever. "Then the world will  _burn._ "

He walked into the mansion, past Rhea, past his father, and past all hope of ever being anything without Cloud by his side.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Genesis was shocked. He stood by Hangaku, blinking profusely at the blonde on the other side of the thickly paned glass.

"You cannot have him here," he said to the princess. When she said nothing, he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders to glare into her eyes, the fear apparent in his own. "Sephiroth will kill us all."

"You're exaggerating. They don't plan on killing him."

"I'm not sure that that's any better. Cloud was an experiment for a long,  _long_ time. If he pulls out of this, Sephiroth may even be the least of our worries."

Hangaku frowned at him. "You seemed so confident before, Genesis. Why now do you fear your so-called friends?"

"I betrayed them once," he whispered fiercely. "Cloud will not trust me and Sephiroth barely does. Besides, I will not stand in his way when the General comes to rescue his puppet."

"Puppet?" Hangaku asked, brows drawn up in confusion.

"It's a long story," he replied, running a hand threw his bangs. He had drawn his overlong hair into a braid recently, seeing as no one would let him near a decent pair of scissors to cut in. He wasn't particularly fond of the look. Absurdly long hair was Sephiroth's thing, not Genesis's.

"There is still a lot of darkness left in my old friend," Genesis tried to explain. "You have never seen it, but the army on that battlefield certainly did. There's a reason that people used to be so terrified of him. He tried to destroy everything, Hangaku, and he nearly succeeded. Can you imagine the skies going black, monsters falling from the blackness, devouring everything in sight? Or a meteor falling from the sky and wiping out everything in its path? How about an Angel of Death who cannot be killed?"

"Well, we'll see," she said simply and started walking away.

Genesis glanced back through the glass at Cloud Strife and made a quick decision. He drew back a fist and punched through the barrier, the glass shattering in a thousand directions around his hand. Hangaku spun, wide-eyed and angry as he leapt through the shattered window. He scooped Cloud into his arms and turned to the window again, but a woman blocked his way.

Genesis nearly dropped Cloud in shock. He had seen pictures of this woman a long time ago, and he had his suspicions before, but as it stood now, he still couldn't believe his eyes.

Poised behind the glass, Hangaku was pale as death.

" _Mother?!"_  she hissed in shock.

Lucrecia Crescent kept her back to her daughter, and kept facing Genesis.

In a voice as sharp and fine as crystal, she said, "the poison will have seeped from his skin by now. It's a pity that you no longer favor gloves, Genesis Rhapsodos."

_That inflection, that tone…I know it._  Genesis wavered as the poison seeped into his skin.  _That is_ ** _not_** _Lucrecia!_

"Hojo?!" Genesis gasped as he slid to the floor, Cloud still in his arms.

Lucrecia laughed, and it was Hojo's laugh, and Genesis was both disgusted and terrified to hear that sound come from a woman's mouth, in a woman's tone.

"She was the perfect host," Hojo chuckled.

"You sick bastard!" Genesis howled, "Hangaku…"

The Princess was in shock. She stared at her mother with wide, worried eyes. "You're…you really are alive."

"Run, Hangaku!" Genesis managed, spots filling his vision.

"Why…?" Hangaku whispered, both to him and to her "mother".

_He'll kill you,_ Genesis wanted to scream as he realized with astounding clarity that he cared for the young princess.  _She's my friend,_ he suddenly understood as he fell into unconsciousness.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Cloud faced Aerith in the Lifestream uncertainly.

"Am I dead?" he wondered. "But then…where's Sephiroth?" His heart plunged. "Oh,  _God_ , Aerith – tell me that I'm not dead!"

"You're in a state between life and death," she explained with a sad smile. "Sephiroth will find you, Cloud, and hopefully in time."

"In…time for what?"

She frowned. "Hojo lives in Lucrecia's body. He used her body as a vessel first to get to Genesis and now to get to you and Sephiroth. He is…Hangaku's mother."

"Hojo's alive?" Cloud's face was a mesh of terror and disgust. "I pity Hangaku."

"Regardless, her genetics match that of Lucrecia's, which makes her Sephiroth's half-sister, and another carrier of Jenova's cells."

"Will Jenova be able to return?" Cloud wondered.

"No, but from what I understand, females were dominant in Jenova's race, and unlike Lucrecia's cells, Hangaku's are stable. I fear that she may be able to manipulate Sephiroth."

"No…"

Cloud pleaded with Aerith. "Send me back!"

"I can't," she said sadly. "We must wait. Sephiroth must fight this battle on his own. You must have faith in him, Cloud. He loves you, after all."

Cloud's heart was pounding. He already knew that Sephiroth loved him, and the feeling was mutual, but that wasn't the issue at hand. "What if it happens again? If he goes insane? Or…if he dies?"

"There is a contingency plan," Aerith admitted and Cloud saw it in his head, flashes of the impossible filling his mind.

"The Planet…can do  _that_?" he asked in awe.

"Only if there is no other option," Aerith said softly.

"I'm not very good at waiting," Cloud admitted.

Aerith smiled. "It's never too late to learn."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Hangaku didn't know where she was.

She was laying down, and that was one thing, but there was something on her stomach – something stick  _out of her stomach._ And she couldn't move. Pain was fighting to break through her haze, but the thick of it was too heavy. Sleep tried to drag her down, but she refused to let it. With a great deal of effort, she managed to tilt her head to the right.

She saw another bed and a naked man –  _Cloud_  – stretched across it. His eyes were closed, and his skin was so pale that it seemed to glow. Hangaku briefly thought that he was beautiful, and then she chased the thought away when her mother stepped into the picture.

Lucrecia wore a surgeons mask as she leaned over the prone blonde man with a scalpel. Hangaku trembled. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want.

She couldn't scream as she watched her mother dig the blade into Cloud's stomach, cutting cleaning across his abdomen with practiced ease. Hangaku barely mustered up the energy to look away again, and she felt relief for a bare second, before her tired eyes took in the sight of the  _thing_ sitting before her.

The tank was massive and glowing, and inside was a monster of tentacles, silver hair, and mottled blue skin. It smiled twistedly, and she knew only instinctually that thing was dead. It must have been, she thought. Certainly, it was  _dead_.

She thought as much, until a voice whispered across her thoughts, and she was consumed by a new voice, a voice that she adored and missed more fiercely than her father's rare affection. Hangaku's heart calmed as she sunk into  _Mother_ 's – Jenova's – sweet mental- embrace.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth heard it just as they entered the city limits –  _Mother_.

Her voice trickled into brain, as familiar and soothing as he remembered. With equal ferocity, he recalled every word he said to Cloud about Jenova.

_You are still my little monster, sweet son._ Jenova insisted, and he knew it. He knew it so well – now more than ever.  _My favorite child,_ her voice continued.  _I'm waiting for you,_ she said, voice fading with such upsetting confidence.

Sephiroth wanted to let go, wanted to disappear into her sweet embrace and sing her praises once more, but he just as fiercely wanted  _not_ to.

_All I really want in this world, the only thing that I want with all my heart, is_ ** _Cloud_**.

With effort, Sephiroth turned to Vincent and admitted, "Jenova lives."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Reginald glowered at Lucrecia. "Woman, what have you done with my daughter?"

"She's fine," the scientist insisted. "And so is that prisoner…oh what was his number?"

"231 is under your watch as well?"

"Of course, darling."

Reginald cringed. "I don't understand how I could have ever loved you."

The woman laughed. "Nor I, Reginald. Nor I."

"But that  _thing_ is ready? We can use it to defeat Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth will not be so easily defeated, you fool," Lucrecia practically sang. "You have to be very careful with that one. He's sharp as a knife."

"What will he do when he gets here?"

She grinned from ear-to-ear. "He'll rip you limb from limb."

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

By the time they got anywhere near the Palace, Sephiroth had a raging headache.

"It's getting worse," he told Vincent, gritting his teeth. He hopped out of the truck and summoned Masamune. As he and Vincent neared the Palace gates, he saw someone on the other side who made his blood run cold.

" _Neron."_

Vincent drew Cerberus. In succession, he and Sephiroth jumped the gate. Neron, on the other side, faced them evenly.

"He would have died," the man whispered as Sephiroth approached with murder in his eyes. "There was no other way."

"Don't plead to me," Sephiroth growled, stopping just shy of stabbing Neron in the throat. "Where is Cloud?"

"I'll take you there."

"A trap then," Vincent guessed, sounding unimpressed.

"I don't care," Sephiroth snarled. "Lead the way, and know that once we get there, trap or not, you are  _dead_."

Neron grimaced and spun, started walking around the palace to a more distant building.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Genesis was far more resilient when it came to controlling his own body. With a snarl, he forced himself into a sitting position. Hojo had him locked in a medical room away from the others.

"Goddess help me," Genesis prayed, struggling to his feet. That fool Hojo had left his weapon in the same room. Genesis grabbed his rapier and went for the door with hostile intent. He had to get out of there before it was too late.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Neron, Sephiroth, and Vincent paused in their march when one of the smaller buildings that they passed practically blew apart in their faces. As the mess cleared, standing at the cause was Genesis, bent over and panting with a familiar sword in hand.

"Genesis." Sephiroth acknowledged.

"Oh, thank the Goddess," Genesis said, stumbling forward and practically falling on his friend.

"What's wrong?" Vincent asked, eyes darting around the grounds in search of opposition.

There was none. That alone was utterly suspicious.

" _Everything_ ," Genesis hissed, before quickly let out a breath to explain exactly how bad things really were.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

In the chamber with Jenova, Cloud Strife stirred just in time to see Lucrecia leaning over him. Cloud was no longer on a medical cot, but chained to a wall parallel to Jenova's tank.

"Hojo, you monster," Cloud hissed at the man in Lucrecia's body.

"Specimen C, we meet again, and for the last time, no less."

"No… _Sephiroth_." Cloud protested feebly.

"Quite smitten with you, I've come to understand, which is explainable. The cells are rather attractive when drawn together."

"What are you going to do to me?" Cloud managed weakly, tugging at the shackles pinning his wrists to the walls.

"Nothing too immaculate, but something decidedly cruel. Perfect revenge for all the trouble you've caused me, I think." Hojo-Lucrecia snapped his fingers, and Cloud heard the sound of growling beasts as shadows emerged from a nearby doorway.

"They're very well trained," the scientist cooed, "but I don't care to watch. Your screams were annoying – I remember."

Cloud didn't even bother to struggle as the drooling wolves approached him.

"Your body is weak now, weak enough to die and not regenerate. I made sure," Hojo said around a horrifying laugh. "Either let them kill you or submit to Jenova's whims. It's up to you, Specimen C."

Cloud glared at the retreating scientist. "Sephiroth is going to  _destroy_ you."

"No, but he may destroy everything else. He is not immune to his mother's voice after all." The scientist shot a fond look into Jenova's tank.

Cloud groaned and faced the wolves and their red, hungry eyes as they approached him.

The blonde closed his eyes and did something that he had not done in years. He reached inside himself and grabbed the strings of his own Jenova cells. Somewhere down the road, somehow, they connected, and he whispered one last time…

_Sephiroth, I love you._

He felt the first set of fangs tear into his skin, and tears slipped from his eyes as he screamed.

_I'm sorry._

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

No one expected Sephiroth to collapse, so no one was there to catch him. Vincent expected that Jenova was the culprit, but when the man curled up on the pavement and started sobbing Cloud's name, he thought he understood what had happened.

Neron looked on in shock as the One-Winged Angel started screaming and making  _that inhuman sound_ again. Genesis, rather than comforting his friend, paled and grabbed Vincent's good arm.

"Let's find Reginald."

The ex-Turk glowered at the man. "I will not leave my son."

"It is best," Genesis whispered, as Sephiroth climbed first to his knees and then his feet.

Vincent shrugged out of Genesis' grip and asked his son: "Will you kill us all?"

The man's shoulder's tensed. "I will…not fall prey to the whims of Jenova. I will not bow to Hojo's will. I will kill  _them_ and then I will  _die._  That is all that I wish to do."

"Hojo will likely have something planned," Vincent said softly.

Sephiroth shrugged. "As I said before, now more than ever,  _I don't care._ If I fail, then you must succeed. For now, kill the Emperor, and leave the rest to me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I bet you weren't expecting THIS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I am totally fudging the timelines of FFVII and Crisis Core. Honestly, I don’t think many people care when exactly the Wutai War took place and when Genesis starting degrading and whatnot, but creative liberties had to be taken. 
> 
> Finally, there is sex. I want you all to know that I write really dumb sex, so don’t let your expectations get too ridiculous. That is all.

The Emperor sat in a wing-backed chair, waiting patiently for their guests to arrive. Before him stood his daughter, who had no wings to speak of, despite the narrow slits of her now mako-green eyes. The pole of her golden naginata was dangling lazily from one of the princess’s hands, but her expression remained cold as ice, and her mind was clearly not her own. At Jenova’s behest, she stood before her father protectively. So when the doors to the throne room opened and sunlight filtered in, she twirled her weapon once before falling into a fighting pose, ready to strike or defend.

Three people entered the room. Her cousin Neron was first, his black rapier still notched in its sheath. Next was Prisoner 231, _Genesis,_ who bore his weapon in hand. His expression was torn between eagerness and anxiety. Last was a mysterious man in a red cloak. He had a golden claw and a massive gun strapped to his hip.

“Welcome, gentlemen,” said the Emperor.

He was promptly ignored, as the men did not tear their eyes away from the Princess, the _real_ threat.

“She is under Jenova’s control, but she is no Sephiroth,” Vincent pointed out and let his eyes fall to Genesis. “Do you wish to be the one to fight her? She is your friend, is she not?”

“I will not kill her,” Genesis said, stepping forward into Hangaku’s direct line of sight. “You two get old Reggie, would you?”

“I want no part in this,” Neron said hotly.

“Then you’re in the way,” Genesis growled. “I know that Sephiroth wanted the honor, but he is not here, and this fool has caused us enough trouble. Vincent Valentine, you _are_ still a Turk, aren’t you?”

The gunman drew Cerberus from its holster and held the barrel to the back of Neron’s head.

“Once and always,” Vincent declared dispassionately and pulled the trigger. The explosion of sound triggered Hangaku into action; she did not even flinch as her cousin’s head was blown apart. The Princess was clashing blades with Genesis before Neron’s body hit the floor.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Neron woke in a place that he did not understand, the last vestiges of pain fading from his conscience.

“Oh, dear,” said a female’s voice beside him. “I’m surprised at Vincent.”

“I can hardly blame him.”

Wide-eyed, Neron gasped and spun around to face the owner of the second, familiar tone. Amidst the swirls of green lifestream, Cloud’s body glowed faintly with white light, and his eyes were bluer than Neron had ever seen. He looked younger and wore a military uniform that was unfamiliar. The shape of another spikey-haired man could be seen behind him, but Cloud seemed completely unaware of him.

“Hello, Neron. Welcome, home,” the disembodied female voice said sweetly, and Neron’s nerves seem to calm.

“Home?” he wondered. “I’m dead, right?”

“Oh, yes,” Cloud said with a small smile, and Neron’s heart practically melted. “The Lifestream is home for all the souls of the Planet.” Then his eyes got a little distant, and a familiar sorrow overtook his expression. “Well, almost all.”

“You’re worried about him?” asked the woman’s voice.

Cloud nodded, eyes glued to his feet – _no_ , not his feet – Neron realized that Cloud was looking down at the world. It stretched out below them in every direction. He found that if he looked down, a simple thought would draw forth the events of life up close. He thought of the situation that he’d just left and watched in awe as it appeared. Back in Reginald’s throne room, Genesis took on Hangaku in a marvelously violent fashion, while the emperor himself cowered under the eyes of the red-eyed gunman behind them. Smeared across the throne room floor was all that was left of Neron’s head, along with his prone body.

“Cloud, why are you here?” Neron asked quietly. Too shocked to be properly upset about the situation, his eyes were still locked on the battle below.

“I’m dead,” Cloud said almost dismissively. “It was Hojo.”

“I…I don’t know who that is.”

“Lucky you,” declared the woman’s voice again. Neron glanced around worriedly.

“Who is that? You can hear her, too, right Cloud?”

“That’s just Aerith.”

“ _Just_ Aerith? Thanks a lot, Cloud!” she teased. “Neron, I am the last of the Ancients and now a vessel for the Planet’s thoughts – a guide for those who are lost.”

Neron smiled a bit. “Am I lost?”

“Lost means dead,” Cloud stated bluntly, eyes still glued to some unnamable turn of events. After a moment, his brow furrowed, and he whispered, “Gaia, he’s angry.”

“You would be, too,” Aerith said sadly. “But I can’t send you back to him, Cloud. Not this time.”

“I wasn’t supposed to die,” Cloud sighed, slumping.

“No,” Aerith repeated. “You weren’t.”

“Planet, stop him,” the blond prayed, and Neron was stunned to see tears in Cloud’s eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey! Enough of that, Spikey.” To Neron’s astonishment, the dark figure behind Cloud manifested completely and made a show of wiping at Cloud’s tear-stained face. The man had hair even crazier than Cloud, bright blue eyes, and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. He, too, wore a military uniform, but it was far rougher-cut than Cloud’s.

“Zack,” was Cloud’s broken response.

“Oh, hush!” _Zack_ chided, pulling Cloud into a fumbling hug. “Now listen here, mopey! Sephiroth may be kind of grumpy, but he’s got his head on straight this time. He’s a smart guy. He’ll figure things out.”

Cloud said something indistinguishable into Zack’s shirt.

“Aaaw, Hojo’s a moron. Seph’ll kick his ass.”

Another muffled protest.

“Jenova hasn’t got him yet!” was Zack’s enthusiastic response and then he yelled upwards. “Aerith tell him!”

“Zack’s right you know,” the warm, female voice said in turn, seemingly speaking from the dark, dark sky. “Sephiroth’s been resisting this time.”

“See?” Zack crowed. “And Aerith’s always right!”

A light giggle filled Neron’s ears as the invisible woman laugh. “That’s right.”

Cloud finally managed to escape the dark-haired man’s embrace. He met Zack’s eyes and said seriously, “He told me he’d do it willingly. Sephiroth doesn’t need Jenova to wreak destruction on the world.”

“ _Um_ ,” was Zack’s slightly alarmed response.

“The Planet will destroy him.” Cloud grimaced. “And he won’t come here. He won’t be anywhere. He’ll be _gone_ – for good.”

Zack looked fiercely unhappy with this revelation, but Aerith’s voice chimed in.

“There’s a contingency plan, remember? Even if Sephiroth goes mad again, the Planet owes you, Cloud. She will make your wish a reality.”

The light of hope filled Cloud’s pretty blue eyes; Neron trembled in the face of that look. He had never seen anything quite like it.

“Right.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Just outside of Hojo’s building stood a massive army of men. They were armed to the teeth with guns and swords. These were Reginald’s attempt to emulate SOLDIER, but every single man on the field shivered when their silver-haired opponent stepped into view. In his hand was a long and deadly sword and behind him, stretched out against the pale gray sky, was a massive black wing. His piercing gaze swept from one end of the regiment to the other. The army was easily five hundred strong: Hangaku’s personal regiment. Her SIC, Commander Pierce, stood at the fore. The man took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Step aside. You are not allowed to enter this facility.”

With one mighty flap of his wing, Sephiroth’s feet left the ground, and he floated effortlessly about ten feet above the Commander. Some of the soldiers actually flinched away from his shadow as it stretched across their ranks.

“I am not an evil man,” the ex-General declared softly, yet still his deep voice carried across the distance so all could hear. “But my heart has died. There must be a reckoning, and you are standing in the way.” He gave Masamune one quick wave, before pointing it at the Commander. “Move and live, or stand here today and be responsible for the deaths of every man on this field. The choice is yours.”

“I have orders,” the Commander said, but his voice wavered uncertainly.

Sephiroth nodded in understanding, the corner of his mouth cricking upwards. “Before they called me a monster, I was a General. I know the weight of an order, Commander, and the wrath of one. Be certain before you give me your final answer.”

The man took up a fighting stance, shoulders drawn up stubbornly.

“I believe in Princess Hangaku!”

Sephiroth closed his eyes for a long moment, remembering Zack with astounding clarity and missing him in equal measure.

When he opened his eyes again, Masamune’s blade had already pierced the Commander’s heart.

“Then I am sorry,” he said as the soldier fell. Sephiroth eyed the crowd below and withdrew his wing. He let himself fall into the warpath of the soldiers, and for the time in over a thousand years, let Masamune truly sing.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The sun dipped below the horizon, burning the sky orange, as Sephiroth made his way across the carpet of bodies that lined the pavement. Blood-soaked from head-to-toe, he walked morosely to the doors of the ominous building, and nostalgically recalled the days when he took the time to make sure that not a single drop of blood touched his person in battle. This day, however, he would not have it any other way. He felt the weight of their lives on his shoulders and the weight of what could have been Cloud’s disappointment at his actions. That feeling, more than anything, he held close to his heart.

 _Cloud is dead,_ he thought for the ten thousandth time. A litany, those words had played through his mind on endless repeat since that moment in the courtyard – the moment when he’d simply _known_. With every thrust of his sword, every life that Masamune brought to an end at his hand, he thought it again.

_Cloud is dead._

He sliced neatly through the doors of a building and stepped into the semi-cool darkness of an antechamber. Medical suits lined one side of the room and ugly blue lockers lined the other. Sephiroth recognized all the signs of decontamination, so it was with satisfaction that he cut a neat line across the second set of doors and watched them topple loudly, before stepping into the main section of the building. Through a shattered glass divider, he saw Jenova’s old, malformed body floating in a large, suspended tank, and was not surprised. But his eyes were magnets for the mess of blood strewn across the room.

There was an immense amount of _red_ : splattered against the white walls, seeping into the faded blue carpet, smeared across the glass of Jenova’s tank, and dripping from the silver chains mounted to the floor. Yet there was not a trace of flesh or even cloth to be found.

 Sephiroth did not inhale. He decided instead, not to breathe. He couldn’t let Cloud’s scent fill his nose, for if he did, Sephiroth knew he would crumble. Hojo be damned. Instead, he turned his attention to Jenova’s massive tank, staring for the smallest moment in disgust at her wretched body, before breaking the glass with Masamune’s hilt. The shards went everywhere as mako-liquid flooded the room. Sephiroth stood and waited. The rush and chemical sting of the planet’s blood was unable to as much as budge his stance, even as it burned like acid anywhere it happened to touch his skin.

With a halfhearted smirk, Sephiroth pushed Jenova’s pleading voice out of his head, not even remotely interested in letting _Mother_ sway his ideals. He used the mastered Fire materia at Masamune’s hilt to set her body aflame, and watched with some amusement as she burned, screamed, _raged_. A helpless monster. The more she struggled, the more he drew from the core of the materia, until finally, she was silent. When there was less left of her than Cloud’s blood, he let the room go up in flames. Deep down, he’d always had a penchant for fire, and without fear, he stood in the middle of the burning room and waited, knowing that Hojo would come.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Hangaku collapsed mid-battle, and Genesis pulled back just in time. He dropped his rapier and ducked forward to catch the Princess before her body could hit the floor. She was sobbing, over and over, the word “mother” falling from her lips, as she curled into Genesis’ chest and let him hold her.

“Jenova’s gone,” he told Vincent, holding on to Hangaku determinedly. “I felt it.”

Vincent crossed his arms. Beside him, Reginald was sprawled across the floor, a huge hole in his chest. The man was dead, his resistance having been moot in the face of Vincent’s skill.

“I suppose Hojo’s all that’s left.”

“And Sephiroth,” Vincent added sadly.

A guard burst into the room. The man’s arm was bloody and limp at his side, and he went impossibly paler upon seeing the dead emperor on the floor.

“Well?” Vincent asked him. “What news do you bring?”

The man stuttered, “T-t-the lab is on fire! The Princess’ regiment is wiped out. I…I survived.” The man was hyperventilating. “I-he- _the angel_ , he was…I’ve never seen…”

Vincent walked forward and patted the man on the shoulder. “Then thank whatever God you worship that you survived. Now, sit down before you pass out. Let me get a look at that arm. I have a Cure.”

The man burst into tears and slid to the floor, defenseless in the face of Vincent’s concern as the gunman tried to awkwardly console him.

“He always had a thing for fire,” Genesis said quietly, drawing Hangaku further into his arms. “There, there. Cling all you want. You’re going to be pissed at me later.” The Princess made what might have been an exasperated sound, but amongst the sobbing, it was hard to tell.

“Sephiroth will do what he wants,” Vincent said pointedly, finally using the materia to heal the injured soldier. The man’s jaw dropped as his wounds vanished before his eyes. When the gunman stood again, his expression was bordering on miserable.

“If he goes too far, I’ll have to keep my promise.”

Genesis sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to help you, but I really hope it doesn’t come to that. I still have scars from injuries he dealt me when we were children.”

Vincent was surprised. “Truly?”

“No one knows that idiot’s strength better than his friends.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

“Hello, my son.”

Sephiroth didn’t even bother to smile.

“Is my mother in there?”

“You killed her,” Hojo said around a cackle, wearing Lucretcia’s body far too casually.

Sephiroth hoisted Masamune and turned to face his would-be father.

“I meant Lucrecia.”

“Her mind long ago left this body.”

“Then that’s once less death on my conscience,” Sephiroth said calmly and dropped into a fighting stance, “but _your_ death I shall celebrate.”

“Have at it, Sephiroth. This body cannot be killed. I am _finally_ a true immortal.”

Horrible, maniacal laughter followed, but Sephiroth lurched forward and neatly sliced his mother’s head from Hojo’s body, shutting him up for good.

“How delighted I am to finally prove you wrong.”

Then and there, the scent of blood filled Sephiroth’s nose, and he finally let himself fall.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The people of Perna watched as the royal palace burned. The fire spread from building to building, and despite the local Fire Guard’s presence, no one moved to stop it. It lasted until late into the following morning, when finally a handful of figures emerged from the fiery compound. Two men led the Princess from danger; a man in red followed them from behind, his eyes occasionally darting back to the flames, anticipating a mysterious onslaught that never came. Several of the palace guards had survived, one with a rather miraculous tale of an angel that no one believed. Sadly, all of the prisoners kept below the palace were lost to the flames, along with the lords and ladies who’d slept in the distant royal chambers. Their deaths were neither celebrated, nor mourned.

When finally the flames descended, people began to scour the ashes of the palace for remains. What they found instead was a great, bright ball of light at the center of what might once have been a large building. As a group approached, the light faded away, revealing the unconscious form of a silver-haired man.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

**_Ten years later…_ **

Rhea entered Hangaku’s chambers. It was still so early that when she swept the curtains aside, only the barest traces of sunlight trickled through. Hangaku groaned from her bed when her First Lady started to hum.

“Up, up, up, Empress!” Rhea cooed.

Hangaku sat up, yawning and stretching unhappily.

“Is it already time?”

“Your council is meeting in half an hour. I’ve already let you sleep too long.”

The Empress rolled gracefully from her bed and started pulling on the clothes that her maid had laid out for her the night before.

“Is Gen up, too?”

“He’s downstairs eating breakfast with Jera.”

Hangaku sighed and, having finally pulled on her livery, gestured for Rhea to lead the way. She followed her First Lady down to the Dining Hall where most of her Council was already eating breakfast. Genesis, decked out in as much red leather as he could fathom, was seated at her right hand, speaking animatedly to Rhea’s teenaged son.

Hangaku took her customary seat at the head of the table, while Rhea took the one at her left hand.

“Good morning, girlie,” Genesis said, finally turning his cheery disposition on her.

“I hate that you’re a morning person,” she growled and speared the slice of ham on her plate. “Whose idea was it to have these meetings at breakfast anyway?”

“Yours!” Elda cut in from a seat a bit further down the table. Elda’s husband sat next to her, ready to follow her lead as he always had. “Because council meetings after lunch are barbaric and unnecessary. Your words, Empress.”

Hangaku groaned unhappily, but went on to say: “Report. Someone, please? Stop the mindless chatter. It’s giving me a headache.”  The volume of conversation in the room immediately dropped an octave. Hangaku may have been a bit of an odd ruler, but her methods were always effective, and she was respected far more than her father had ever been.

“The Act of Black and White was disbanded. Officially. Yesterday,” Rhea said, voice having gone all official. “You were out training, so we didn’t bother you with it then.”

“I can’t believe it’s taken so long,” Hangaku muttered. “An Act takes a day to put in place, but a decade to disband.” She shook her head. “Well, at least that’s done with. Any backlash?”

“Not really, though most people are just going on like they didn’t even notice. No doubt that society will take a few years to really adjust.”

“Whatever. Next?”

“Petra’s army is moving further out. We think they’re going to settle in Ancient Midgar.”

Hangaku’s brow rose. “Will that be a problem?” Her question was directed more at Genesis than anyone, but he shook his head.

“They were very thorough. There’s nothing left to be found in that old dump.” Even as he spoke the words, his eyes grew darker, sadder, and Hangaku was reminded of the passionate stories he told of Angeal and the legendary SOLDIERS of the once great city of Midgar. She patted his arm consolingly and he offered her a small, tired smile.

“It’s ten years to the day,” someone finally said, changing the subject. Hangaku put her fork back on her plate, losing her appetite immediately.

“How is my brother?” she mostly whispered.

“I think he’d appreciate a visit,” Genesis replied.

“Your schedule is already clear,” Rhea added.

The Empress straightened.

“Get the car.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Vincent watched as his son stared directly into the sun. Sephiroth was sprawled out in the grass on his back, limbs spread. Like a child, the man was relentless, determined to stare at that great ball of fire in the sky until his eyes were burnt from their sockets. Vincent came out from the cover of the trees and sat in the grass beside him.

“What exactly are you doing?” he asked with no small amount of amusement.

“Looking for the Lifestream,” Sephiroth admitted in monotone.

“You’re more likely to find it under the mountains,” Vincent pointed out. “There’s no point in it, Sephiroth. I know that you miss him, but…well. This isn’t the way.”

“So what do we do?” Sephiroth growled. “Sit here and wait for the world to rot, for a reunion that will then be impossible. I can’t die. He won’t let me die.” The silver-haired man finally closed his eyes.

“There is a reason for that. We’ve discussed this before. The Planet won’t take you. If you die, you’ll become nothing. _Dust_ , at best.”

“At least dust doesn’t have to _feel_. Life as dust sounds rather enjoyable actually. Preferable.”

“Perhaps you have to wait as long as he did for you…to make things fair. The Planet can be rather spiteful, after all.”

Sephiroth made a pained sound.

“I’m not nearly as patient as…as _he_ ever was.”

Vincent sighed. Ten years. Ten years and Sephiroth couldn’t even say his name. He was shaken out of his reverie, however, by the sound of an engine coming up the road.

“That will be Hangaku. Undoubtedly, Genesis has reminded her of the day,” Sephiroth whined.

“Don’t be rude. They all care for you.”

Sephiroth sat up and glared into his father’s eyes. “My only wish today is to kill something.”

Vincent actually rolled his eyes, a gesture he’d grown used to after spending so much time with his difficult, all-powerful, fully-grown, _immature_ son.

“Well, don’t aim for me,” the ex-Truck grumbled. He took to his feet and Sephiroth followed. Despite Sephiroth’s complaints, he forced a smile when it came time to greet the others. Vincent didn’t bother to try and tell Sephiroth that smiling like that made him look as he once had under Jenova’s power.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

They crowded into Vincent’s tiny kitchen and chatted like old friends. Meanwhile, Sephiroth lay napping on the couch, careless to their presence and emotionally spent.

“He hasn’t changed,” Hangaku said, eyeing her mopey brother from the kitchen door. “At least he didn’t run away this time.”

Vincent huffed. “ _This time_ he stared at the sun for four hours straight, claiming that he was looking for the lifestream in the sky.”

“I’m just happy he didn’t go full throttle Jenova again,” Genesis said with a shudder. “No matter what people saw him do ten years ago, it’s still nothing compared to _that_. I was a soul determined not to fear him, but when the madness took hold, I stayed away.”

“I’m glad of his sanity so far,” Rhea chimed in, looking sad. “I can’t even imagine it.”

To everyone’s shock, Sephiroth sat up on the couch and glared over at the crowd in the kitchen. He then swept up and stomped out of the house, slamming the door in his wake.

“Angeal would be ashamed,” Genesis said half-heartedly.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

All they seemed to do was talk about him. It had been driving Sephiroth crazy since the moment he’d woken up, safe and sound and unbearably _alive_ in a hospital in Perna. Then they had told something that had pissed him off even more: he’d been _saved_ from the fire by some horrid bright ball of light. Furious, Sephiroth had burst out of the hospital, flown to the top of the tallest building in the city and cursed at the sky until it rained on him. Vincent then had to fly up and drag him back down, soaking wet and miserable, to a house just outside of Narga, where they’d lived ever since.

As it turned out, Sephiroth could mope with the best of them. For the first year, he spoke to no one. Then he’d gone off and had a dream about Zack Fair – _Zack,_ telling him to get off his high-horse and stop ignoring his father. Sephiroth had been ready to rip Zack’s head off in the dream, until Cloud, for the barest of moments, appeared behind the ex-SOLDIER, nodded, and _smiled_.

Sephiroth woke screaming Cloud’s name. It then fell to Vincent to console him. For the following year, Sephiroth was a hot mess. He spent his free time hiding in his room, reading books, and trying desperately to forget his own misery. But the ache of loss could not be so easily forgotten.

Sephiroth spent the third year after Cloud’s death with Masamune practically glued to his hand. He disappeared into the woods and killed every creature that crossed his path. Genesis got him out of that one. They battled mercilessly until half of the forest was laid out before them, and Sephiroth knelt alone in the dirt with Genesis’ blade pressed to his throat. Sephiroth smiled bitterly and begged his old friend to kill him. In turn, Genesis punched Sephiroth in the face and literally dragged his unconscious carcass back to Vincent’s house where he was scolded mercilessly by his half-sister, who had come for a surprise visit and had been furious and worried to find him gone.

He spent the fourth year dodging Hangaku, who visited frequently and made herself out to be a very caring, very annoying sibling. Sephiroth was adamant about ignoring her, until her engagement was announced to the country. He showed up at her wedding, bloodied up her fiancé, and then informed her, quite angrily, that no sister of _his_ would marry for anything less than love. Shocked, Hangaku was far less pestering after that, and she did not marry, though many suspected she might one day take Genesis into matrimony. The two, however, found the assumption entirely hilarious.

Sephiroth spent the fifth year trying to figure out what to do with himself. It was so long after Cloud’s death that he could safely function without going off the deep end, but not so long that he didn’t think about it every second of every day. He took up fishing, which he actually found to be extraordinarily dull, but Vincent often joined him, and they spoke of things long past. That was the year that Sephiroth learned to truly love his biological father.

The next three years were slow, but productive. Sephiroth stopped hiding from society. He visited Hangaku in the city, and even offered up advice when a war broke out with Queen Petra in the North. He reconnected with Rhea, who had been elevated in status when she befriended the Empress. Jera still adored him, and often begged to be trained in the way of the sword, but Sephiroth adamantly refused, remembering all too well how much Cloud had wanted for the opportunity when he was younger. Elda also hunted him down and told him about all of Cloud’s exploits while she had known him as a White.

Sephiroth spent the ninth year at Hangaku’s side, leading a warfront without ever picking up a sword, his strategic mind as Masamune’s blade. To his relief, no one ever asked him to anyway.

During the tenth year, Petra’s war ended and things started calming down again. He moved back to Vincent’s and got back into the habit of reading and fishing.

When Jenova’s voice brought him nightmares for the first time in a decade, he felt something in the universe shift, but could not quite figure out what it was.

On the first day of the eleventh year after Cloud’s death, he found out. Sephiroth woke up in his old bed in Midgar, and promptly flipped the fuck out.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

 ( ** _Midgar)_**

Fourteen-year-old Cloud strife sat in a lecture hall at an Gaia-shattering  4 O’clock in the morning. _SOLDIERs never slept_ , they said. _You can sleep when you’re dead_ , they said. Possibly sleep’s number one fan, Cloud Strife was not amused.

 At the front of the room, Angel Hewley, a First Class SOLDIER of some repute, waxed poetic about honor. The class was enraptured by the SOLDIER; all save for Cloud, who was actually a bit too sleepy to care. A band of bullies had made short work of him yesterday, and his stomach still ached from where they’d kicked him repeatedly in the ribs. The lecture droned on and on, and Cloud thought it would never end, but then it did. Quite abruptly.

Angeal was mid-sentence when none other than _The General_ Sephiroth came flying through door, literally tearing the metal from the hinges, and not even seeming to notice Angeal as his eyes darted to-and-fro, sweeping through the crowd in search of –

- _finally!_

Cloud Strife actually screeched when The General appeared before him. Sephiroth’s face was alight with something like manic joy as he hefted little Cloud from his seat, tucked the stunned cadet over one shoulder, and strode from the room with a grin.

The classroom was dead silent.

Cloud Strife was also silent. He was completely shocked and embarrassed as the mighty General of Shinra carted him through the halls like a sack of potatoes. Every person who saw Sephiroth coming, jumped out of the way in clear terror, and Cloud was privy to their baffled looks as the man continued to stroll cheerfully away. The cadet had absolutely _no idea_ what was going on.

Finally, they came across someone who _wasn’t_ completely and utterly terrified of The General. Genesis Rhapsodos and Zack Fair stood in Sephiroth’s path, jaws on the floor at the sight before them. It was at that very moment that Angel Hewley caught up to the mad pair from behind. Sephiroth’s Second-in-Command exchanged a confused look with Cloud, who was mortified.

The inevitable “ _What_?” finally spewed forth from Sephiroth’s mouth, the words still cheerful beyond belief.

Angeal cleared his throat, causing Sephiroth to turn sideways in the narrow hallway to see him. Cloud’s head met the wall rather violently at the swift motion, but he was even more startled by Sephiroth’s faint apology. For a moment, he wasn’t even sure that he had heard it.

“Oh, Angeal!” The General said, voice dripping with glee. “It’s good to see you breathing again.”

 “I’m hallucinating,” the cadet whispered, rubbing his aching head and trying to avoid having his face pressed directly against The General’s ass.

“Sephiroth, what are you doing?” Angeal practically growled. “Put that cadet down!”

“Um, no?” The General replied, patting Cloud’s leg. “This one is _mine_.”

“What the actual fuck?” Genesis finally screeched.

“ _Pardon me!”_ Another voice chimed in, and they all turned to see Doctor Hojo and a line of white-coat assistants behind him. “Would you kindly get your butts out of the way? _Now_.”

Cloud shuddered at the nasally tone of the scientist – that and the way in which The General had stiffened when the man spoke.

“Actually,” Sephiroth purred, sounding sinister and pleased all at once. “I need a word, _Doctor._ ”

“You can come to the Lab then, like you were supposed to two days ago.”

“This is urgent,” Sephiroth insisted, and Cloud swayed a bit as The General stepped closer to the scientist. Angeal, smart man that he was, stepped neatly out of the way as Sephiroth moved to meet Hojo face-to-face. The doctor’s survival instincts were apparently nil. Anyone else would have booked it by now.

“Fine,” the Head of Shinra Science Department sighed. “ _What?”_

There was this sound – _horrible_ – a sickening crunch that would haunt Cloud’s nightmares and the thump of a lifeless body falling to the floor. Gasps and exclamations followed, but Sephiroth _laughed_.

He turned back to his friends, whose faces were flush with shock, and said, “You have no idea how much trouble I’ve just saved us.”

“General, s _ir_ ,” Zack said, holding up his hands in a placating way. “Put that cadet down now, please.”

 _Actually, I’m good._ Cloud thought quickly. He had this funny feeling that if The General did let him go, that Sephiroth was bound to go on a crazy killing spree or some such thing. He was getting a bit dizzy too, all the blood rushing to his head. _I probably look ridiculous._

“I’ve waited a decade, Zack,” Sephiroth said determinedly. “I’m not letting him go again.”

 _Oh, great._ Cloud thought. _Juuuust great!_

 _“_ What do you mean ‘waited a decade’?” Angeal asked.

Sephiroth shrugged and walked right past the mess of people in the hall, politely excusing himself, as if the situation were perfectly normal. He eventually stepped into an elevator and they began a slow descent to the Shinra Lobby. To Cloud’s surprise, no one followed them. He wondered how long it would take the others to snap out of their shock and begin to panic.

“So…um, sir?”

“What is it, Cloud?”

“Where are we going?”

“To see Aerith. Maybe, she’ll know how to make you remember.”

“Who’s that?”

“You don’t know her yet?”

“Um, no?”

“Hm.” Sephiroth never properly gave Cloud an answer, and the cadet was prone to even more quizzical stares as The General carried him out of the Shinra building and down to the train station.  _Midgar never sleeps_ , Cloud thought as they made their way across the city.

“I can walk,” Cloud eventually grumbled, his temper finally getting the better of him.

“Yes, but then you could also run.”

“And this is better?”

“Indeed.”

Cloud sighed and resigned himself to being carried. Fortunately, no one was dumb enough to approach The General and question his strange actions. He stood for the entire train ride, the other passengers giving him wide-eyed stares and leaning away. Cloud kept his head down, so embarrassed that he chose to stare at Sephiroth’s rear end, rather than the other people in the car. By the time the train arrived in Sector 7, Cloud had nearly fallen asleep.

The General of Shinra stepped into the busy, crowded streets of the slums and people parted around him like he was a rather large and obtrusive rock at the center of a rushing river. He walked aimlessly for about fifteen minutes, before finally stepping into a shadowy alley and putting Cloud back on his feet. The blond immediately stumbled for balance and yelped as the blood started to rush back to his legs. They were tingling painfully, even as he reached out to grab onto The General’s arm for balance.

“Where is that damn church?” Sephiroth was saying.

“Dunno,” Cloud iterated, shifting from side to side and wincing at the pins-and-needles sensation exploding in his calves.

“What are you doing?”

Cloud actually glared at him. “My legs fell asleep!”

The General laughed, then bent down to swoop Cloud into his arms _._

Cloud squirmed desperately, thinking that _nothing_ could be more humiliating than this.

“No! Put me down!”

“Nah.” Sephiroth glanced down and smirked when Cloud’s bright blue eyes met his. “I’ve got you right where I want you.”

“Why is this happening to me?”

“Because you’re special.”

“Ugh.”

Sephiroth strolled back into the street and proceeded to search for the mysterious church again.

“This is Wall Market,” Cloud said offhandedly. “I’m not even allowed to come out here yet.”

Sephiroth made a sound of acknowledgement before stopping a passerby with a meaningful look. “Where’s the church?”

The guy sputtered and pointed to a path just to their right. Sephiroth nodded appreciatively and headed for it. It wasn’t long before they saw the building: a ragged cathedral with a partially busted roof. In anticipation, The General sped up a little. They reached the doors in moments, and Sephiroth gently put Cloud down again. The cadet thankfully had better control of his legs this time around. The General cleared his throat and knocked on the church doors. It wasn’t long before someone answered.

“Oh, hello,” said a pretty green-eyed girl, as she opened the door. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Aerith,” Sephiroth offered her a friendly smile. His expression was oddly hopeful. “You remember?”

“Of course I do, silly! After all, I set the whole thing up. Come in?”

Sephiroth nodded and followed her inside, half dragging Cloud behind him, who was more than a little shocked that this young woman was going along with things so easily. She didn’t seem remotely fearful of Sephiroth. Cloud was tempted to tell her about the man that The General had just murdered in a Shrina hallway.

Aerith sat on a pew and patted the seat beside her. “Cloud? Would you join me please?”

The cadet cautiously took the seat next to her, nearly jumping out of his skin when Sephiroth plopped down next to him, awkwardly close. Aerith giggled as Cloud’s already panicked eyes went wider.

“Easy there, General. You’re scaring him,” she told Sephiroth.

“I don’t mean to,” he replied, putting a little more distance between himself and Cloud. “It’s just…been so long.”

“I know, but _this_ Cloud’s not exactly your Cloud, is he?”

The silver-haired man’s expression hardened, and his eyes glittered with anger.

“He’s _Cloud_. I don’t care if he’s younger, dumber, and weaker –“

“- _hey_!”

“-he’s still himself.”

Aerith’s grin was blinding. “ _Good_.”

Sephiroth scowled.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” she told him, “after all, I have a way to make him remember.”

Sephiroth deflated. “Oh _.”_ Then, with determination: “ _How_?”

“Stop the Planet from dying. Prevent Meteor and the rise of the WEAPONS. Kill Jenova. Save Midgar.”

“Is that all?” he said with a raised brow.

“You also might want to avoid dying,” Aerith added seriously. “The Planet won’t save you again, and if you enter the Lifestream, you’ll become more susceptible to Jenova’s control, and thus a danger to everyone.”

He nodded in understanding.

“In the meantime,” Aerith said, “you can help Cloud train to pass the SOLDIER exam!”

Cloud actually perked up a bit at that. “Really? Would you?” His gleaming eyes stared hopefully up at Sephiroth, and The General found himself nodding along without even really putting any thought to the matter.

“Of course.”

“Excellent!” Aerith clapped sharply, just once. “Things will be easy this time around.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth set Jenova’s body on fire for the second time that he could remember and waited impatiently for her to burn.

“This is really quite disgusting, you know,” a woman said from his side, standing next to the twelve-foot hole they had dug to plant Jenova’s ashes in, and making faces at the alien’s burning corpse.

When he said nothing, his companion nudged him in the side with an elbow. “Are you still pouting about your little cadet?”

“Shut up, Hangaku,” he hissed, pushing more energy into the firaga materia that he was holding. Jenova’s screams were like lashes across his thoughts, but they couldn’t distract him from the looming depression that he had been carting around lately.

Sephiroth never made a point to explain himself after kidnapping Cloud from his classroom that first morning that he had woken up in Midgar. After he made the promise to train the blond, Cloud never even bothered to question The General’s reasoning. Sephiroth found this particularly disheartening, as Cloud was probably the only person that he ever felt the need to explain himself to. But lately things had not been going well.

First, there was Hangaku.

Despite Shrinra’s strict policies, the company had not been willing to part with Sephiroth after he had easily and brutally dispatched their head scientist. They had, on the other hand, pulled the property card very quickly, pinning Sephiroth as a non-human asset that they would maintain very strictly. Hojo’s death was kept on the down-low, and no one particularly missed him, especially after some of his more morbid experiments were dredged up from Shinra’s basement.

Among those experiments were Nanaki, a mysterious quadruped beast whose species was thus far unknown; Shelke, a young girl who had long been separated from her own family; and Hangaku, Hojo’s latest attempt at cloning Sephiroth.

Hangaku was dragged into the spotlight and trained up as the first female SOLDIER, mostly at Sephiroth’s insistence. She was currently a SOLDIER Second, the same rank as Angel’s “puppy” Zack, and it was no secret that The General favored her. Upon their first meeting, Hangaku had been a mess. Strong and clever as she was, under Hojo’s watch, she had been undernourished and mentally unstable. However, the first time Sephiroth laid eyes on her, he pulled her into a hug, and they’d been inseparable ever since.

She lacked any memories from that distant future, but her personality was essentially the same. Fortunately, her parents were also nameless entities, making Sephiroth’s life slightly easier, which was good. It was already proving difficult enough.

Second on his list of contempt was _Neron_. Like Hangaku, the infuriating man had emerged in Sephiroth’s life unexpectedly. And more specifically, Neron had appeared quite cunningly in _Cloud’s_. While The General had been informed quite insistently that he could have no such relationship with the young Cloud Strife—who at this point was entirely unwilling anyway, and completely and utterly _too young_ —Neron ended up being not only Cloud’s age, but also _in his training division._

A quick visit to Aerith’s church revealed the Planet’s vessel meekly explaining that, while dead, Neron had pleaded to be sent back in time as well, and the Planet had _permitted_ such a thing. Though the man’s memories were also nil, Neron already had his claws dug deep into Cloud’s skin and was not letting go. And by “digging his claws in”, Sephiroth meant _dating._

Cloud, at first rather smitten with the idea of being trained by The General, but quickly decided, much to said officer’s dismay, that he did not particularly _like_ Sephiroth. _Cloud,_ as Zack had explained, had apparently been The General’s number one, die-hard fan, right up until the moment that Sephiroth tried to actually train him. Though _his_ Cloud had explained multiple times how absolutely abysmal he had been as a cadet, Sephiroth was not prepared to see his ex-lover _drop_ a 3,000 Gil sword mid-battle, and then proceed to actually _trip_ over his own two feet.

After staring in horror for all of three minutes, Sephiroth had then decided that Cloud’s level of skill with anything other than a rifle was completely (almost unbelievably) terrible, and that he would not rest until that little cadet became the killing machine that Sephiroth knew he could be.

Thereabouts, Cloud started to hate him, as Sephiroth’s self-admitted people skills were nearly nonexistent, and he had never actually trained a cadet before. The General also had the nasty habit of snapping at Cloud as he might his older-self, which usually left his younger counterpart in a state of near hysteria. Sephiroth could deal with everything but a pathetic, weeping, _spoiled_ brat. So after one particularly nasty training session during which he’d verbally abused Cloud so much that the cadet had run off, Sephiroth guilt-tripped himself into apologizing, so he wandered off in search of his beloved cadet.

And that was when he found them.

The first time Sephiroth saw Neron again, the dark-haired _youth_ had his _tongue_ crammed down Cloud’s throat, and Cloud, with his tear-streaked face, was clearly enjoying every second of it. Sephiroth interrupted with a growl, which had been completely unintentional, and then had to sit there and actually listen to Cloud haughtily declare Neron his _boyfriend_.

Rather than smashing Neron’s head into the pavement, Sephiroth had calmly walked away. He took himself to the top of Shinra’s mako-canon and teetered on the edge of its mouth, looked studiously at the world below, and seriously doubted that the fall could actually kill him. When a very worried gaggle of hands pulled him back, he was spun around and stood under intense scrutiny, being yelled at by his small group of worried friends. He ignored them thoroughly as he tried to conjure up creative ways to end his own existence.

_Maybe if I could actually turn on the canon and get in front of it in time…_

“Why would you do that?” Genesis demanded frantically.

_I used to be able to sort of teleport. I wonder if I can still do that?_

“You’ve been acting so weird lately. Won’t you at least tell us why?” Angel said soothingly.

_Hmm. Maybe not. Cloud killed me the first time by tossing me into the reactor. That might work._

“Seriously, man. We’re worried about you!” Zack whined.

 _Then again, I was very weak at the time. That might_ not _work._

“Brother, are you even listening?” Hangaku demanded.

_I guess I could gut myself  first._

The slap to the back of his head nearly made him loose his footing. Sephiroth caught himself at the last second and glowered at Genesis. The General may have been willing to lose his life, but he wasn’t so ready to let go of his dignity. He was three seconds from summoning Masamune, when Zack rushed forward and pulled him into a hug.

“ _What_ are you doing?” Sephiroth said, voice far too quiet even for his own liking. Emotion was slipping in there that he didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Are you okay?”

Sephiroth’s throat burned.

“No.”

Zack leaned back to meet his eyes as the others came closer, and Sephiroth could see the worry lacing their features. It was odd to think that anyone other than Cloud could actually care about him.

“Everything is _wrong_ ,” he found himself saying. “Nothing is going as it should.”

“Clarifying the point, but not quite enough. Sephiroth, _my friend_.” Genesis came forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “ _The fates are cruel_ , but cruelty is something that you have survived from birth. Tell us what is wrong _exactly._ ”

Sephiroth gripped Zack like a lifeline, making him yelp.

“ _Cloud_ ,” he breathed, and then proceeded to scare the shit out of his friends by explaining, quite frankly, that he was in love with a fourteen-year-old.

Things after that were even more difficult, it seemed, as they decided that The General could not be left alone with himself. They took turns babysitting Sephiroth, not only to keep him from bringing about his own demise, but to keep him from “molesting a child” as they so kindly put it, and/or killing another. For after the dust settled, Sephiroth’s despair turned very quickly into a burning rage, and he snarled at Neron every chance he got.

Angeal informed him that he was being entirely unprofessional. Genesis called him insane. Zack shied away, now more than a little bit concerned for his new friend Cloud. Hangaku wasn’t as quick to judge, but she also seemed to think that there was more to Sephiroth’s mental state than he would tell them, though she quizzed him about it often.

Aerith was Sephiroth’s only consolation, and he visited her frequently. The General was careful not to let anyone know about his budding friendship with the Cetra girl, as she was also Zack’s girlfriend and beloved by several of the Turks, whose guard of her had lessened when Hojo was killed.

When Aerith had learned of Sephiroth’s attempted suicide, she hadn’t freaked out like the rest of his friends. Instead, she sat with him in one of the pews, held his hand, and talked about how much she knew Cloud had loved him.

“ _Had loved_ ,” Sephiroth grumbled, “for all that this Cloud cares for me, he may as well be dead.” He let his head fall back against the bench with a sigh. “He hates me, but I don’t think I could actually bring myself to kill him now.”

“This is exactly why the Planet doesn’t trust you, you know,” she replied exasperatedly. “I told you that he _can_ regain his memories.”

“That’s not exactly easy,” he complained. “Saving the Planet? How? I’m not planning to destroy it anymore. Or use it. Whatever. So that’s pretty much nullified one big problem. As for the pollution…how am I going to do that? Shinra’s never going to stop using mako.”

She tusked. “You could start by trying. Have you done _anything_ other than kill Hojo at this point?”

He frowned. “Not particularly.”

“Well, stop being so selfish!” She said, her cheerful tone taking the bite out of her words. “Do something good! Maybe then, Cloud won’t hate you so much. He’s _Cloud_. Beneath that childish exterior is the man you know. He’ll come around.”

“Maybe he’s not he man I know,” Sephiroth said bitterly. “Maybe it took all of Hojo’s madness to get him there.”

Aerith pinched him, and he shot her a glare.

“You are such a dilly downer,” she cooed, then straightened up. “Well, then. It sounds to me like you need encouragement. You need to do this step-by-step, and step _one_ is to go out there and at least find Jenova.”

“And kill her?”

“Yes, grumpy pants. _And kill her._ ”

“You’re much scarier than I remember. All that menace with a _smile_.”

She patted his arm. “You’d do well not to forget.”

That was the very conversation that led to Sephiroth standing on a path just outside of Nibelheim with Hangaku, next to a huge hole that he had rather passionately dug to bury the monster he once called _mother._ They were just beginning to shovel dirt over her ashes, when Hangaku asked, “Why do you love that cadet?”

Sephiroth frowned. Of all the questions the others had asked, for some reason they never asked that one. To hear it though, was oddly comforting. It was as if he was finally being given the chance to explain himself.

“He’s the only person who has ever understood me, flaws and all.”

She was frowning. “But…he doesn’t _know_ you. I know you better than he does, and I’ve barely known you at all.”

“No,” Sephiroth said wistfully, “but he will. I just have to…do this.”

“Do what?” Hangaku wondered.

“Oh, just save the world.”

She actually stopped digging to gawk at him. By the time she started up again, Sephiroth thought the conversation was done. He was wrong.

“Genesis is right. You are crazy.”

“And you have this awful habit of agreeing with him,” The General said around a sigh. “But that’s fine. You’ll understand. You all will. And when _my_ Cloud is back to himself, you’ll regret that you ever questioned my intentions.”

“ _Batshit_ crazy,” she muttered back. “Out of your fucking _mind_.”

“I’ve never disagreed with that assessment.”

She threw the shovel at him.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Cloud Strife was having a rough time of things.

He wasn’t entirely sure why General Sephiroth was suddenly so obsessed with him, nor why the man also seemed to hate Cloud and everything he did in equal measure. Sephiroth gave off such contradicting vibes that Cloud had long ago given up trying to understand him and whatever it was that he wanted. Naturally, Zack refused to let the cadet in on what exactly had transpired to cause the entirety of the man’s friends to practically stalk The General at all hours of the day. Sephiroth’s put-upon/despairing expression had become a staple in the Shinra building. It was something of a wonder that that very expression hadn’t been added to the company’s plethora of flashy propaganda.

 The man was a God to pretty much everyone, but he seemed completely indifferent to the fact. Cloud, too, had once been one of his avid supporters, but when Sephiroth revealed how much of a fucking social _brick_ he was, the blond had backed off.

Thing was, Cloud was also a social disaster, but what he bore in shyness and over-sensitivity, Sephiroth had in harshness and cold-indifference.

Thing was, every time Sephiroth escaped one of his babysitters for even as much as an hour, they all had a freaking conniption about it.

Cloud though, Cloud had a secret. You see, Cloud _knew._

He remembered Aerith, knew her better now that Zack and she were dating, but mostly he remembered how she had completely understood everything The General was saying on that first day, when the man had lost his marbles. Aerith hadn’t thought he was crazy, so either she had just gone along with his insanity to humor him, or she actually knew what was going on.

Oddly enough, Cloud wanted to understand Sephiroth, who seemed to have fallen into an almost worrying depression these last few months, but Cloud didn’t really know _why_ he wanted to. There was something niggling inside of him that demanded to _know._ It was a bit reminiscent of the absolute obsession that he had for the man back in Nibelheim. The Great General Sephiroth had been Cloud’s entire world: everything he wanted.

The first time that Sephiroth had vanished, Cloud got a bit suspicious. As Genesis, Angeal, Zack, and Hangaku desperately searched for The General, the cadet snuck off to Aerith’s church, and sure enough, when Cloud peaked in through a church-window, he saw Sephiroth hunched over a pew. The man’s silver hair fell around him like a silver waterfall, and Zack’s sweet flower girl sat at his side, giving him a look that could best be described as pitying.

The noise from outside and above the plate made it impossible for Cloud to eavesdrop, but the site of such a great man, bowed under what appeared to be a great deal of sadness, hurt his heart a little. He snuck away before they could notice him, and when he returned to the Shinra building, found Zack and told him not to worry so much.

Zack had given him the strangest look at that, but Cloud brushed it off and went back to his duties without delay. He had opted out of his training with Sephiroth more than two weeks ago, claiming that he couldn’t stand the pressure. It wasn’t so much a lie. He could fathom the training, but he couldn’t deal so much with those who knew about it. The bullying of his person had not ebbed, but increased two-fold when Sephiroth tried to take him under his wing.

To make things worse, Cloud had recently failed the SOLDIER entrance exam for a second time. They were now threatening to permanently staple him to the regular infantry, which horrified him now less than it had before. Much as he wanted the glory and honor of SOLDIER to take home, he didn’t know if he could handle working under The General and maintain his own sanity.

At least he’d still have Neron. His boyfriend, a word that still left a bad taste in his mouth but that he dared to use anyway, had actually gotten into SOLDIER on the last exam. While Cloud’s scores had been off by miles, Neron had done a little too well, and the higher-ups were already eager to work him up to Second Class, despite the fact that he’d only just attained Third.

Cloud was undoubtedly jealous, but he tried not to let it show. There had been times lately when he’d seriously considered just going back home. It would be humiliating, no doubt, and he was certain that they’d never let him live it down, but he’d already faced far more abuse from his fellow infantry than he ever had at home.

_I should just become a wanderer. I could do mail. Cloud Strife’s Delivery Service. It has a nice ring to it…_

The thought got him smiling, as he walked down the halls and back to his compartment. He was nearly there, when Zack ran into him, nearly literally, and thrust a document in his face.

“Kill order. Wutai troops. I’ve got a mission. We all do. Genesis and Angeal are going to Kalm. Hangaku and I are going to Rocket Town. Seph’s still out doing Gaia-knows-what, but I heard from Lazard that they’re sending him to Junon. I think they pegged Neron for North Corel.”

“Just the SOLDIERs then?” Cloud asked a bit mournfully.

“Nah, they’ll be sending troops, too.”

“Ah,” Cloud forced a smile. “Well, then. Maybe I’ll see you in Rocket Town?”

Zack nodded enthusiastically and took off at a run. Barely an hour, Cloud got his notice. They were sending him to Junon. He had an hour to pack. He did quickly, so nervous that he was shaking, because for the first time in a while, there was a very good chance that Sephiroth might approach him alone. Cloud had the option to call Zack. Even Genesis had given him an emergency number in case something like this happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to call them. He passed Neron on the way out to his chopper, but the words that slipped from his mouth were a lie, and he didn’t know why he said them.

“I’m going to Rocket Town.”

Neron kissed his cheek. “I’ve got North Corel. Love you.”

Cloud didn’t say it back. He never did. Instead, he took off at a jog to a different chopper. The blades were spinning lazily when Cloud crawled into the helicopter, and as soon as he was strapped in, he popped a few meds in his mouth, swallowing dry. He’d learned his lesson the hard way, when it came to his terrible motion sickness. By the time the chopper lifted off, Cloud was already nearly asleep.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

They touched down in Junon and Cloud was roughly shaken awake and ushered from the chopper. It took off again before he could find his place in the ranks. It really sucked being short sometimes, and it meant that he always got stuck right in the front. Right where Sephiroth could—and did—see him. The General circled the formation like a predator when he arrived, but lost his pattern when he came across Cloud in the front. Apparently, he wasn’t expecting him to be there. Something almost vulnerable flashed across the man’s face, and if Cloud had been a bit more willing to break his dead-eyed stare in front of his asshole Sergeant, he might have gawked.

Sephiroth finally caught up to himself and started walking again. Cloud thought his heart was going to beat its way out of his chest. Suddenly, with a lot less regard for his own state of being, and in seeing a very big opportunity, he hissed out an inquisitive, “Sir?”

The General stopped and gave him an odd look.

Cloud sucked in a deep breath. For all that Sephiroth’s friends obviously loved him, their guarding the man all the time made it very difficult for Cloud to really talk to him. For the first time in months, Cloud had a chance, and he was going to push aside his own shyness and use it.

“Can I have a word later? It’s important?”

“Sergeant,” Sephiroth suddenly snapped out in that sharp way of his, making Cloud wince.

The Sergeant made a sound of startled acknowledgement from behind The General.

“Show your men to their quarters. Cloud stays with me.”

A very hesitant look overcame the Sergeant’s features. Sephiroth’s odd behavior lately was, after all, common knowledge. He probably had orders _not_ to leave Cloud alone with The General, and they all knew it to be true.

Cloud decided to take a stand, otherwise he knew that he’d never get this chance again.

“It’s alright, Sir,” the cadet said to no one in particular.

Looking marginally relieved, the Sargent took the other men and left.

Sephiroth seemed to gather his courage, and how odd Cloud thought it was to see him do such a thing for a mere cadet.

“Yes, Cloud?”

“I don’t think you’re crazy.”

The General sighed. “You’d be the first.”

“No, I…” Cloud slid out of his “attention” pose and ran a hand nervously through his own spikey hair. “I think Aerith wins that one.”

“Ah. Right.”

There was an awkward silence.

“Could you…I mean, no one else will…tell me _why?_ I just…I think I need to understand what’s going on. I…I _want_ to understand. I don’t want to be at odds with you. I don’t want to be angry with you.”

“In all fairness,” Sephiroth stated, “It’s not something that makes a whole lot of sense.”

“Can we sit down?” Cloud gestured to the edge of the platform, and Sephiroth followed him over to it, where they sat and let their legs dangle over the open-air below, a respectful distance between them.

“Let’s say,” The General finally began, “That…I’ve lived this all before.”

“W…what do you mean?”

“That this life...I’ve already lived it. I know all the bad parts, and the few good ones that fall in between. I know it all, and I knew you. A different you. An _older_ you.”

At Cloud’s expression, Sephiroth actually cracked a grin.

“Still think I’m not crazy?”

Cloud shrugged. “You don’t seem to think you are.”

“Because I’m not, but I can’t prove something that’s impossible.”

“Maybe you can,” the cadet suggested. “If you’ve lived it all before, tell me something that only I would know, that it would be impossible for you to know now.”

After a moment of deep thought, Sephiroth said oddly, “White is not your color.”

“I’m…not sure what that means?”

Chuckling to himself, Sephiroth added, “I know that you have a passion for mechanics, or maybe you will. You like motorcycles. I know you’re a crack shot with a rifle, which is why they want to keep you in the infantry, why the Turks stalk your heels. I never knew that they had before. That was interesting to learn. You’ll get your ears pierced eventually, and you’ll have an odd fascination with wolves. I think Zack had something to do with that actually.”

Cloud’s eyes were wide as Sephiroth continued.

“I know the reason why you suck at trying for SOLDIER. You try all the wrong things, emulate all the wrong skills…things you’re not built for. You’ve spent too much time trying to copy me, when in reality, you need to do the exact opposite.”

“I know that you’re shy. I know that you don’t mind being submissive, so long as people understand that you’re _not_. I know you like to argue, but rarely find the courage to do so. It will take a while for that to settle in.”

“I know that I love you, even though I shouldn’t, even though I can never properly explain _why_ , but it is precisely the reason why I hate Neron so much. I also know that, in the entire world, you are the only person who will ever be strong enough to beat me in battle.”

“You’re also immensely stubborn. I can’t believe you made me wait ten years to go back. What a jerk you are, Cloud.”

Sephiroth drew in a sharp breath.

“And finally, I know that you’re mine. You’ve always been mine, even when you were busy killing me again and again. Even younger and weaker and dating that sneaky bastard Neron…you’re still mine Cloud, in hate or love. You. Are. _Mine._ ”

Cloud didn’t know what to say. He stared at Sephiroth in shock, grasping desperately for words. Fortunately, his Sargent chose that moment to return. The man practically shoved a PHS in The General’s face.

“Sir! My apologies, but Commander Rhapsodos is on the phone and-“

Sephiroth snatched the device from his hand and held it up to his ear.

“Well, that didn’t take you long,” he snapped into the receiver. “Do you guys have a tracker on him or something?” While Genesis responded, Sephiroth glared at the Sargent until he finally got the picture and left again.

“I’m not gonna fucking _do_ anything to him, Gen. We’re just talking.”

Cloud frowned as Genesis’s voice rose enough on the other end for the cadet to actually hear some of the clipped, angry syllables. Meanwhile, Sephiroth was looking more and more angry. Without thinking, Cloud snatched the PHS away from The General’s ear and held it up to his own.

“Hey!” he cut sharply into Genesis’s rant. Sephiroth was giving Cloud and odd look.

“He’s not bothering me, alright?  Leave him alone. At least now I know _why_ he’s been acting strange, no thanks to you.”

 _“What did you just say to me, cadet?_ ”

“You heard me,” Cloud snarled, and ended the call before he lost his nerve. Red-faced, he passed the phone back to Sephiroth with a faint apology.

The silver-haired man just gawked at him.

“What?” Cloud said defensively after the silence had drug on for too long.

“You really are still _you_.”

“Who else would I be?” Cloud wondered, confused as ever.

For the first time in ages, Sephiroth smiled sincerely. The site set Cloud’s heard pounding in his chest. He doubted many people had ever seen _that_.

“No one.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

They spent two weeks in Junon, but the Wutai never surfaced there. Instead, Genesis and Angeal got bombarded by a ragtag group in Kalm. They were neutralized easily. The troops were left in their respective towns while the highest ranking officers returned to Midgar. The rest of the men would return 1 week in following, being left as a precaution.

Much to everyone’s relief, when Sephiroth returned to the Shinra building, he was in a good mood. His friends, however, were less fortunate. Genesis had taken a shoulder wound in battle nearly 24 hours prior, and it wasn’t healing. Sephiroth recognized the first signs of cell degradation, and almost summoned his own power to try and fix it himself. After all, Angeal too would soon begin to physically break down.

 _This is how they die,_ The General remembered, despite Genesis’s “rebirth” at his Goddess’s behest the first time around. This was how the original mess got started. Genesis started to degrade; he left and Angeal followed, only to also start degrading shortly after. Sephiroth, angry and confused, did not follow. Instead, he had let Hojo manipulate him into stumbling upon false accounts of his creation. Then he met _Mother_ and set the world on fire.

Sephiroth was two seconds from using Jenova’s power on Genesis when he recalled something even more troubling: _Reunion._

Anyone with Jenova cells might incidentally become Sephiroth-clones, if the power within those cells was activated, as with the Remnants. And another version of himself, likely vulnerable to outside influences or privy to his own lingering insanity, could be a very big problem.

Concerned, Sephiroth consulted Aerith, vaguely recalling memories from the time he had followed _Reunion_ into Kadaj’s body to fight Cloud. The blond had carried The Stigma around for a year or so. But miraculously, during that battle, he had been healed of Jenova’s taint in the flower girl’s church.

Naturally, she was always three steps ahead of him. As soon as he raised the subject, Aerith held out three tiny vials of crystal clear water.

“Already done.”

Sephiroth took them. “Three?”

“Hangaku.”

He grimaced. “Of course.” After stowing the bottles into a pocket, he pulled the Cetra girl into a hug.

“Thank you.”

He returned to the Shinra building and made Genesis, Angeal, and Hangaku drink the water from the vials almost immediately. Genesis’s wound sealed up just as fast as he could drink it. Of course, they asked questions.

“Degradation happens when the Jenova cells can no longer sustain themselves and start to die.”

“How did you know about this?” Hangaku asked, staring at the now-empty bottle in her hand, as if it might tell her its secrets under intense scrutiny.

“Hojo…actually, don’t worry about it. You’ll all be fine now.”

They took his word for it.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth was sitting through possibly the third most boring meeting of the week, when he decided that he’d finally had enough. It had been a month since he had agreed to _really_ fix things and get Cloud back, but since then, it was as if his work-load as General had tripled. He hadn’t accomplished anything other than killing Hojo and burning Jenova. In retrospect, those were nothing compared to his Save-the-Planet-from-Shinra plot, which wasn’t so much a plot at this point, as it was a farfetched, whimsical dream.

Well, he had to start somewhere, and this particular meeting would have to do.

Sephiroth slammed his hand down onto the long table that he, the Shinra Department Heads, several SOLDIER officers, a handful of Turks, and Vice President Rufus were sitting around. The noise startled them all, but nothing was more alarming than the fact that The General had unintentionally dented the table. He had interrupted an argument. Honestly, he’d been so bored that he wasn’t entirely sure what it had been about or even what the entire point of the meeting was, but it didn’t matter. He was _done_.

Without any remorse whatsoever, he addressed Rufus.

“Vice President, when are you going to have your idiotic father killed?”

Everyone else in the room was stunned, but Rufus appeared unfazed. “The timing isn’t right just yet,” he said flatly, and gestured for one of the Turks to guard the door. “But I’ll agree that the man’s a moron. Why, precisely, do you ask?”

Sephiroth sat his elbows on the damaged table and rested his chin on his hands. “I think I’m sick of the way this company handles itself. It’s time to change.”

Angeal, also present, was giving Sephiroth a horrified look. Genesis, next to him, looked intrigued.

“Well, well, well,” said the red-clad man. “Shinra’s golden boy finally goes dark side.”

“Shut up, Genesis,” The General said. “Rufus, what do you think?”

The blond man smiled. “I’m on board.”

“Oh, I doubt it.” Sephiroth stood from his seat and prowled slowly around the table until he came a few feet from Rufus’s spot at the head. He crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the edge of the table, all casual grace. “Unless you agree to my terms, I’ll resign my title as General and make it my mission to tear this company to the ground.”

Rufus frowned, now looking far less pleased. “Now why would you do that, Sephiroth?”

“Oh, I can think of a few reasons,” he purred, “but ask yourself this, do you really want to test me? Hojo could never get me to cooperate very well. It’s why he was so determined to label me a failure. He never learned my true capabilities, because I consistently refused to show them. Everything you have seen of me has never been my best.”

“You’ve taken on armies. Enemies. People who were less capable than ours. What makes you think you can stand against all of Shinra?”

The General chuckled. “Oh, _please_. Spare me. If Angeal and Genesis _and_ Hangaku can’t manage it, what makes you think anyone else can?”

“Are you so egotistical?”

“Are you stubborn enough to find out?”

Rufus’s frown turned into a grimace. “What are your terms?”

“Usurp your father. Kill him. I don’t care.”

“Manageable. I was going to do that anyway.”

“Make peace with Wutai. Not by force. Leave them be. Make a deal with Lord Godo. Do whatever it takes.”

“Are you insane?”

“Many seem to think so,” Sephiroth insisted, smiling slightly. “I’m not done.”

Rufus glared. “Continue.”

“Find an alternative means of power to replace mako energy and implement it within a year.”

“Madness.”

“Stop making new SOLDIERs. SOLDIER is a den of monsters and it only creates horror for those who fall into it, willingly or otherwise.”

When Sephiroth ceased speaking, Rufus raised a brow. “Is that _all_?”

He nodded.

“Ridiculous. We cannot fulfill said terms. Your demands are impossible and illogical.”

“Then consider this my resignation.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!” Genesis said, jumping up from seat. “Sephiroth, what are you _on_?”

Angeal looked pale. “Are you being serious?”

He smiled at his friends. “You’re welcome to come along, of course. I’ll probably go to Wutai. If I see you in battle, I’ll do my best not to kill you. I’d prefer to avoid that, however. Also, if you are going to be staying here, do me a favor and keep an eye on my cadet.”

Genesis shared a shocked look with Angeal. “He’s fucking serious!” the red-clad Commander declared.

Angeal’s expression swiftly shifted from shock to resignation. “Well, I better go, too.”

Genesis started to protest, but caught himself at the last second. “You know what? You’re right, Angeal. What good is Shinra to us anyway? We’re far better off with Sephiroth.”

Rufus, at the head of table, was pale. “So you all will defect?”

Angeal finally stood up. “Sephiroth’s right. This company thrives on the pain and suffering of others. I could always see the logic in Wutai’s accusations against us. The monster population is thriving in the slums, and it gets worse every year. On top of that, the desert grows wider. Eventually, we will kill everything around us, all for the sake of comfort. And I’ve seen so much horror come from SOLDIER.”

“ _Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess,_ and what fools we would be to let it die,” Genesis tacked on. “Though I do have another suggestion.” He drew the sword at his hip. “We don’t have to run off to accomplish these goals. Shinra is a company of unbridled power. It wouldn’t be _that_ difficult to overtake it, hm?”

Sephiroth was smirking. “Now there’s an idea, my friend.” Masamune manifested in his left hand.

Rufus shot to his feet and the Turks surrounded him protectively, their eyes wide with fear.

“I think re-negotiations are in order,” Rufus hissed.

Sephiroth picked a seat and sat. Angeal and Genesis followed suit. The General waved a hand at the remaining seats.

“Well then. Let’s _negotiate_.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

It was a Sunday morning when Cloud woke up, stumbled out of bed, and raced to the head to be sick in one of the stalls.

Something was different.

His head hurt like mad; thousand-year-old thoughts dug their way beneath his more recent memories and hardened like stone, heavy and strong and solid. It was several hours before he had control of himself enough to look into a mirror, but by the time he snuck out of the Shinra building and into the slums, it was still dark.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

The church was silent at first, and a wave of nostalgia hit Cloud upon seeing it, the cathedral far more in-tact than he could ever recall.

He didn’t knock; never had. He just strolled in like he owned the place, stopping at the site of _Fenrir_ , his beloved beast of a motorcycle, parked neatly in the center of the flower patch. Only when Aerith’s giggles filled his ears did he actually think to look for her. She stood off to the right, as pretty and radiant as ever.

“Cloud, silly! Your clothes! Look!”

He glanced down, and cracked a small grin. He was still in his socks, shirtless, and sporting some dark sweatpants that were perhaps a bit too tight on his muscular frame.

“Luckily, we’re prepared,” Aerith told him, bounding forward in a pale pink dress to grab his hand. “Come on. You’ll want to look the part right?”

“Who’s _we_?” Cloud wondered, giving her delicate fingers an affectionate squeeze and letting her drag him along.

“The Planet, of course,” she declared, and let his hand go to dash around a pew and drag out a huge black bag. Cloud was already running his fingers along _Fenrir_ ’s girth, gasping when he found the switch for the inner compartments and grinning as they snapped open, revealing all seven pieces of _First Tsurugi_ inside.

“My _sword_!” he nearly cried.

“I’d yell at you for standing on the flowers,” Aerith said, “but just this once, I think I’ll forgive you. Come here, Cloud.”

He went, and laughed when she instructed him to look in the bag she had dragged out.

“You’re the best, Aerith.”

“And you…are shaking. Cloud?”

He wasn’t just shaking; he was crying.

“Do you think he hates me now?”

She gently grabbed his arm.

“He could never hate you.”

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

It was nearly noon when the huge motorcycle roared up to the curb. Passerby stopped and stared as sunlight glinted of Fenrir’s obsidian curves. They stared even more as an unfamiliar SOLDIER with ridiculous spikey hair, killed the engine and climbed off of the bike. He removed his riding goggles, eyes glowing as brightly as any of the famous Firsts’, and let them dangle off of a handle next to the throttle. The vehicle was unique enough on its own, but when the man hit a button and let the two huge side compartments fly out, spectator’s jaws hit the ground. With casual grace, the man withdrew several pieces of a massive, shining sword and fitted them together into one, before sliding the weapon into the complicated holster on his back.

He then turned to face the building and took a deep breath before walking into the entrance doors. Three hours in following, the mysterious blond SOLDIER already had a fan club in the works.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Zack stepped off of the training mat and gawked at Cloud. Angeal copied him. Across the room, Genesis looked like he might faint. Neron, present with a group of his own friends for training, was wide-eyed.

“Have you seen Seph?” Cloud had asked, voice deeper and more confident than any of them had ever heard.

“It’s just, I need to apologize,” the blond continued with a crooked grin. “Gaia knows, he’s probably pissed at me right now.”

“Um, _Cloud_?” Zack managed. “You look…uuuuh, taller?”

“Yeah, that’s going to be hard to explain,” Cloud said agreeably.

“Buffer,” Angeal added uncertainly. “More uh, muscular?”

“ _Older_ ,” Genesis suggested, having composed himself enough to approach the blond. “I swear _nothing_ makes sense anymore.”

“I can tell you one thing,” Cloud added cheerfully, “Seph’s freak-out a while back was totally justified.”

“ _Seph_ ,” Zack whined. “You keep calling him _Seph_. You don’t call him that. He’s _The General._ ”

Neron approached, and to everyone’s surprise, Cloud stepped away from him. “I don’t think so,” he told the dark-haired SOLDIER Third when he reached out a hand to touch Cloud’s arm. “Sephiroth has enough reason to kill you right now. I can’t believe Aerith let you come back, too.” He shook his head.

“ _Aerith_?” Zack crowed. “What does my girlfriend have to do with any of this?”

Cloud winced. “You’ll have to ask her. Now, seriously, where’s The General?” His eyes searched the room, as if looking for the man, and spotted Hangaku instead.

“Oh!” Cloud exclaimed, nodding her way. “I always liked you. Good to see you, Princess. Empress?”

Hangaku’s expression was befuddled. “Are you hitting on me?”

Cloud laughed. “No.” Then he sighed. “Well, if you don’t know then-“

“-he’s reading.” Genesis supplied with a quick roll of his eyes. “Goddess knows where. He’d never tell me.”

“Oh! Right.” Cloud started to walk away, and wasn’t overly surprised when the others followed him.

“You mean to say that you know the location of his secret reading spot?” Genesis demanded somewhat crossly as they migrated down the halls. “He _told_ you?!”

“Not recently, but yeah,” Cloud said, stepping into an elevator and letting the others crowd in. He pressed the button for the top floor, which then begged of him a special code. To everyone’s surprised, Cloud typed in a series of numbers, and the elevator started to move.

“The hell?” Genesis said. “I don’t even know that!”

They arrived on the top floor, home to the office and apartment of the President himself—now Rufus Shinra—but Cloud veered right to one of the emergency exit doors. He pushed it open and stepped onto the very top of a metal stairway.

“That door is supposed to be lock!” Angeal observed with alarm.

Cloud chuckled, glanced up the final length of wall to the building’s roof, and leapt up to grab onto the ledge. He hoisted himself over it with ease and glanced around. By the time the others found their way up, the blond had already spotted a mass of silver hair.

He grinned and walked forward.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth was falling back on old habits. Now that he had Rufus under his thumb, free time was easier to find, which could be both relieving and frustrating. The man got bored easily, especially since Cloud was always around, pressed against Neron in odd corners. Sephiroth had a knack for finding the couple in compromising positions. To say it bothered him would be a colossal understatement. It was nearly all that he could think about.

He wasn’t so good at waiting.

Changes to Shinra were well underway. A peace treaty was signed with Wutai, meaning the war was over. The President was out of the picture, and his son was easy enough to manipulate, even holding the boss’s chair. Several reactors had already been closed down, and parts of Midgar were already running on fossil fuels, rather than mako. It wasn’t the best means of energy, but for now it was the best that anyone could do, and it was far less damaging to the Planet than burning mako. It would take time to wean the people off of the stuff.

The General was starting to think that this was his punishment. Cloud was alive, but he still wasn’t the man that Sephiroth wanted him to be. That was entirely unfair to the blond, of course, but Sephiroth couldn’t help his feelings, and he was also under the impression that they didn’t much matter. Cloud didn’t want him anyway.

Sephiroth sighed and tried to focus on his book. It wasn’t exactly a favorite or anything, but it was at least marginally distracting. He let his feet dangle off of the side of the 70-story building and tried to let the breeze soothe his thoughts.

What was _actually_ distracting, however, was the press of someone’s gloves against his eyes. It was odd; he hadn’t even heard them sneak up, but he was annoyed all the same.

“ _Guess who_?” a familiar voice whispered in his ear, but The General wasn’t particularly inclined to care who was interrupting his break. Sephiroth set his book aside and jerked the hands away from his face; they disappeared from his view quickly.

“Go away,” Sephiroth growled, grabbing his book again without turning around and pretending to focus on it. He _really_ wasn’t in the mood for interruptions today, but a bit of shuffling told him that there was at least a small group of people on the rooftop behind him. He was about to spin around and tell them something along the lines of _fuck off_ , when the unthinkable happened.

The same pair of hands that had attempted to playfully blind him, pressed against Sephiroth’s back and pushed him OFF of the building. A peel of laughter cut through the wind as Sephiroth fell, more shocked than anything—that someone had the _gall_ —but then, he spun around in mid-air, letting his wing rip free and saw something impossible, as the feathered-appendage caught  a hard wind and kept him from slamming into the ground.

Cloud Strife, clad familiar in black, had his head perched on the palm of his hand, elbow set against the ledge of the building, as he watched The General fall with a fond smile on his lips. His eyes glowed so fiercely that Sephiroth could see their gleam from where he floated some sixty-three stories below.

Just as other figures poked their heads over the ledge, Sephiroth summoned Masamune and was back upon it. Cloud yipped for joy and had just enough time to step back, draw his own sword, and block The General’s crushing blow. They didn’t move for a while after that, not even after Sephiroth let his feet settle on the rooftop and withdrew his massive wing back into his body. There was an intense minute or three for which Sephiroth and Cloud stared into each other’s eyes, one grinning almost sheepishly, and the other so shocked that he may or may not have been gaping.

Until finally, Sephiroth let Masamune clatter to the ground and Cloud tossed First Tsurugi to one side.

Sephiroth practically fell on the blond, who laughed delightedly as The General buried his face in Cloud’s spikey hair.

“You made me drop my book,” Sephiroth accused.

“I love you,” Cloud said, voice trembling, winding his arms around Sephiroth’s waist.

“I fuckin’ hate you,” the SOLDIER whined. The blond pressed a kiss to the closest patch of the man’s skin that he could find.

“I know.”

“Was a stupid plan. Why couldn’t you have just stayed alive?”

“Jenova. Hojo. You know, the works.”

“Missed you.”

“You too.”

“ _WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?”_ Genesis screeched among the gaggle of half-terrified bystanders.

Cloud peaked over Sephiroth’s shoulder, eyes crinkling with mirth. “We really ought to get him a t-shirt.”

“It is always him, isn’t it?” Sephiroth grumbled, pulling away from Cloud just enough to spin him around and lay his head on the shorter man’s shoulder.

“Cloud remembers,” Sephiroth said gleefully, then tactfully added, “and he’s not _fourteen_.” He noted Neron’s presence. “And he’s _mine_.”

Cloud jabbed him with an elbow. “Hey, I belong to _me_ , you ass.”

Sephiroth made an agreeable noise.

Zack was the one to toss his hands in the air first and walk away. “I’m so done understanding you two!”

Genesis and Angeal decided to join him, but Neron needed more convincing. He looked uncertain; he looked angry.

Cloud sighed.

“Sorry…again.”

Neron left.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

Sephiroth’s apartment was on the 52nd floor. They decided that the quickest way to the bed was through a window. It was one sacrifice in the face of many. After all, if Cloud hadn’t violently protested putting his junk on display for the Turks on top of the Shinra building, likely they’d be on the news already. Then again, Cloud hadn’t expected Sephiroth to _break_ the window to get inside.

Cloud was unceremoniously dropped onto the king-sized, silk-wrapped monstrosity that The General had for a bed. Sephiroth was tugging impatiently at the sword harness strapped around his torso.

“Fuck, I left Tsurugi up there.”

“Later.”

“But the _Turks,_ Seph!”

The silver-haired man sighed, before saying pointedly, “I’ll go get your damned sword, but you better be wearing significantly less clothing, when I return.”

Sure enough, by the time Sephiroth got to the roof, he had to fend off a few Turks to retrieve Cloud’s massive weapon. Masamune had already disappeared back into its own little pocket dimension.

When Sephiroth flew back through the window of his bedroom, Cloud was already down to his pants. The General dropped Tsurugi on the floor and practically pounced on top of the blond.

“I am so pissed at you,” he snarled, undoing Cloud’s fly, tugging his pants and underwear down, and then glaring at Cloud’s flaccid penis accusingly. With a groan, Cloud flipped them over. He leaned over Sephiroth on hands and knees and glared.

“Listen here, _Seph_. It’s been a weird fucking day. You’re mad, I’m tired, and I haven’t even kissed you yet, so _slow the fuck down_. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Everyone keeps asking me that,” Sephiroth complained heatedly. “You were _dead._ For ages. Then I was here, and you were back, but you were with _him_. Again. And you were _too young_. And there was _so much_ to do. And I haven’t even woken Vincent up yet. And no one remembered anything except Aerith, and I was so _mad_ , and I missed you, and we never once had sex _ever_ , and-“

Cloud’s mouth was on his, hot and wet, pressing his tongue against Sephiroth’s who kissed furiously back. He bit at Cloud’s lips, drawing blood, and practically assaulting his mouth. This went on and on until The General finally started to calm down. His harsh grip on Cloud’s hips became a gentle slide of fingers up and down the smaller man’s back. Their kissing became slow and teasing.

Finally, Cloud pulled away. He leaned back, sitting up on Sephiroth’s leather-clad legs and letting his eyes appreciate the other man’s body, eventually settling on the hard length straining against the front of his pants. He traced the shape with a finger. Sephiroth moaned.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.”

It didn’t take long to strip Sephiroth down to bare skin. At Cloud’s insistence, he drew his wing out after, letter it curl around Cloud’s back as they resumed their former position. The blond leaned down to run the flat of his tongue across Sephiroth’s hard length. He traced its edges, sucked the tip into his mouth, delighting in the noises that his actions were drawing from Sephiroth’s mouth.

“Why didn’t we do this then? In Perna?” Sephiroth eventually asked, amidst moaning and gasping for more.

Cloud pulled his mouth away, letting a hand slip down to curl around The General’s cock. He built up a slow, steady rhythm before answering. By that point, Sephiroth was practically trembling with pleasure.

“We were busy with more important things,” Cloud reminded.

“They don’t seem so important now. Irrelevant really,” Sephiroth insisted, thrusting a bit against Cloud’s hand.

“We didn’t know that then.”

“I want to fuck you,” Sephiroth said suddenly with a particularly hard thrust in Cloud’s grip.

“Something tells me you don’t have the aaaah _stuff_ in here to do that.”

“The nightstand.”

Cloud leaned over to open it, and immediately toppled over as Sephiroth’s hand found his rock-hard length.

“ _Fuck_.”

Sephiroth pulled him away from the nightstand, got Cloud on his back, and dipped his head between the blonde’s legs to swallow him whole.

“You planned that!” Cloud gasped, unable to keep himself from thrusting up into Sephiroth’s mouth. The General released Cloud’s cock and let it fall back against his stomach. He licked his lips.

“I ain’t got shit in that drawer.”

“ _Motherfucker_!” Cloud snarled, grabbing a pillow and bashing Sephiroth over the head with it. The silver-haired man laughed, snatched the pillow from Cloud’s hands, and tossed it across the room. He then lay himself across the smaller man’s body, lining up their midsections and rocking against him.

“This will do for now,” Sephiroth purred, pressing his mouth against the underside of Cloud’s jaw and sliding their hips together. Cloud slid his hands down to get two handfuls of Sephiroth’s behind.

“Maybe I ought to fuck _you_ ,” the blond grumbled.

“Mmm, okay.”

Cloud laughed, gasped, and abruptly came.

Sephiroth was done not ten seconds later.

They lay like that for approximately ten minutes, before Sephiroth wiggled and admitted, “This is gross. Is sex always this gross?”

“How the fuck should I know? Probably. You’re smooshing me. Gaia, we’re bad at this.”

Sephiroth stayed put and kissed Cloud’s nose. “We’ll get better. We have time, so long as you don’t run off and die again.”

“Oy! Not my fault!”

Sephiroth chuckled and rolled to the side, curling up around a protesting Cloud, despite the mess.

“I love you. How the fuck did we even get to this point?”

Cloud pressed smile into Sephiroth’s collarbone and told him a story.

**FarBeyondtheEnd**

_Once upon a time, there was this scrawny little blond kid from a tiny mountain-town, and his hero…The Great General Sephiroth. A lot of things happened between them, not all of them good. There was quite a bit of fighting, far too much death, an odd bit of time-travel, and quite a lot of waiting. However, against all odds, they somehow fell in love and managed to keep each other._

_And really, that’s all anyone should ever need to know._

**__end__ **


End file.
